


Mining Diamonds

by hellesea



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:29:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 46,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22973305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellesea/pseuds/hellesea
Summary: Thirteen magical beings in an enchanted forest cross paths and discover they’re bound by a mysterious prophecy, taking them on an unexpected and dangerous adventure. Meanwhile in a parallel universe, the members of a boy group discover that they possess incredible supernatural abilities, and that the fate of both worlds rests in their hands.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

Hansol's lungs burned, screaming for him to catch his breath. His eyes watered as he focused on the path ahead of him. He couldn't look around to see if Seungcheol was still keeping up but he could still hear his brother's footsteps running just as fast as his own, somewhere nearby to his right. 

At least, he hoped those were Seungcheol's footsteps.

Hansol couldn't take his eyes away from the path before him. As the forest grew thicker, the trees were so close together he risked crashing into one if he wasn't careful. Surely they would lose the hunter here, he thought to himself as he pushed himself to keep running. He worried his older brother may not be able to keep up as he heard the nearby footsteps grow more faint. 

There must be a place to hide soon. Please gods, let there be a place to hide.

Hansol lost himself in the thought for just a split second, but it was enough time for him to lose focus and he didn't notice the ditch until he was tumbling straight into it. A choking grunt leapt from his lips as he threw out his hands to catch himself, rolling roughly into a shallow creek. A few seconds later he heard a familiar yelp and turned just in time to see Seungcheol fall into the creek a few yards away. As Seungcheol braced himself against the cold water he looked up and met Hansol's intense gaze. Some distance behind them, the two brothers heard sticks and leaves crunching beneath the horse's hooves. 

"Stay down!" Seungcheol commanded in a breathless growl, nodding toward a tangle of large roots sticking out of the side of the ditch near where Hansol was crouching. Hansol scrambled behind the roots and pressed his aching back against the cool earth of the creek bed. He watched Seungcheol carefully as he tried to regulate his breathing. His heart pounded and sweat poured down his face and neck but he didn't dare move another muscle to wipe it away. Not until he knew they were safe.

Seungcheol dug the toes of his boots into the creek bed and carefully raised his head above the edge of the ditch to look back toward the sound of horse hooves. After taking a quick look he glanced back at Hansol once more, gave a quick and decisive nod, and closed his eyes. Seungcheol took a few deep breaths and opened his wide, dark brown eyes once more, watching his hands begin to glow red and orange as flames began to dance across the surface of his skin as if they were simply seeping out of his pores. He turned to his left and raised his hands above the ditch, and with an intense, focused stare, conjured a ball of flames between his palms and threw it as far as he could manage, making sure to aim low so the hunter wouldn't see. About thirty yards away the brush suddenly erupted in flames. Seungcheol dropped back into the creek bed, wiping sweat from his brow and pushing his soft black hair away from his forehead with his now flameless hands.

Seungcheol and Hansol waited in breathless silence and finally heard the horse come to a halt, whinnying loudly. After a few seconds and as the fire began to crackle more distinctly, the horse's gallop could be heard traveling in the opposite direction. Hansol let out a silent sigh of relief as Seungcheol carefully picked his way down the creek toward him. 

"We should walk in the creek for a while until we find somewhere to hide for the night," Seungcheol suggested, pointing in the opposite direction from the fire he had used as a distraction. Hansol nodded, his mouth too dry to speak. As Seungcheol turned to lead the way, Hansol stooped to cup some water in his hands and take a drink and splash his burning face. He wet his hands again and ran them through his wavy light brown hair. Steam rose from the cool water each time Hansol dipped his hands into it. Once he felt more refreshed he quickly caught up to his older brother.

"Cheol," he whispered once he'd gotten close enough for the elder to hear him, "why are they hunting us?" A weary look briefly crossed Cheol's face, but by the time his eyes met his younger brother's, they showed nothing but strength.

"Dragons are becoming rare," he replied, carefully watching Hansol's golden brown eyes for their reaction. "There are a lot of people who would pay a fortune to have us captured just to keep us captive and use us for our magic." 

Hansol's lower lip quivered so slightly it would have been imperceptible to anyone other than Cheol. Cheol placed his hand on Hansol's back and rubbed it slightly. 

"Don't worry," Cheol said softly, reassuring his brother as he had all of their lives. "I'll protect you like I always do."

They walked further up the creek in silence, except for the splash of their boots in the shallow water. Hansol felt as if he had never been so exhausted in his life, and prayed once again for a hiding place. Just as he thought he couldn't walk any further, Cheol stopped suddenly and silently reached an arm out to stop Hansol. 

"Thank the gods," Cheol whispered, pointing Hansol in the direction of the mouth of a small cave just above the creek bed. Hansol blinked back relieved tears and carefully followed his brother towards the cave. Seungcheol easily vaulted himself up and over the side of the ditch, then reached down to pull Hansol up. They made their way toward the cave, looking carefully around them.

"It looks empty," Hansol whispered, following Seungcheol into the shadows of the cave.

"Looks can be deceiving." A smooth, gentle voice came out of nowhere behind them. They hadn't heard a single footstep. 

"Don't turn around," the voice commanded in the same gentle, yet firm voice just as the boys were about to turn to face the voice's owner. Both Cheol and Hansol tensed as they heard a sound they instantly recognized as a sword being pulled from its sheath. 

"Who are you?" Cheol asked, trying his best to keep his voice steady.

"I'll be asking the questions," the voice replied. "Now both of you put your hands up where I can see them."

~ Seungcheol gasped for breath as he sat bolt upright, suddenly wide awake. His heart was pounding. Sweat was running from his soaked hair and down his neck. Every muscle in his body felt tense and sore. After catching his breath and letting his eyes focus he carefully looked around. Nothing seemed out of place in the dorm. Jeonghan and Jihoon were sleeping soundly in their beds. The sun was rising beautifully over Seoul. He could smell food cooking and heard Mingyu and Minghao arguing in the kitchen. 

It was just a dream. Cheol reassured himself, tossing his blankets aside and sliding over to sit on the edge of the bed. He waited for a moment before getting up, resting his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees. He rubbed his eyes vigorously and looked back and the peaceful, sleeping faces of his roommates. Jeonghan as angelic as he was when he was awake. Jihoon looking even younger and more childlike in his sleep. He rubbed his eyes one more time as he got up out of bed.

Thank goodness, it was just a dream.


	2. Chapter 2

"Cut!" Soonyoung yelled. The staff member stopped the music and the room echoed with the sound of twelve pairs of feet slamming to a halt. Soonyoung spun to face the members.

"Vernon, you missed your mark again. Any slower and you're going to be stepping on Jun's feet." Soonyoung placed his hands on his hips as he spoke. Hansol gave an apologetic frown.

"Sorry, Hosh. I don't feel good today. I'll work harder," he replied sheepishly. Soonyoung turned back to the mirrored wall ready to continue the rehearsal, but spun right back around when he saw Jeonghan leave his place and walk to Hansol. Jeonghan delicately placed the back of his hand across Hansol's forehead and instantly recoiled as if he had been stung.

"You're burning up with fever!" Jeonghan's voice cracked with the sudden shock and he spun his head to face Seungcheol so quickly you could almost hear his hair snap like a whip.

"Coups, he needs to go to the doctor," Jeonghan advised. By now all of the members were stirring worriedly and murmuring amongst themselves. Cheol approached Hansol and placed his own hand on the younger boy's forehead. Their eyes met and a significant look passed between them.

There's no way… Cheol thought to himself. He quickly assessed Hansol's condition. Hansol looked perfectly healthy, other than appearing as tired as Cheol himself felt.

"I'll take him," Cheol agreed after a moment of consideration. "You guys keep practicing." At their leader's words, the members began shuffling back to their places, except for Jeonghan who stood with his eyes locked on Hansol. He reminded Cheol of a statue of a guardian angel.

"I'll text you," Cheol assured him.

"You’d better," Jeonghan ordered, never removing his gaze from Hansol's face. His eyes narrowed as if he were deep in contemplation. The look worried Hansol but he tried to play it off.

"Ok mom," he said with a sarcastic huff. "I'll be fine."  
Jeonghan slowly turned his gaze to Cheol, who shrugged.

"Don't worry, I got this," Cheol assured him, hoping he sounded confident. He turned around to Soonyoung, adding, "Practice a new formation without him, just in case he can't perform tomorrow." Soonyoung nodded, already formulating a plan. The rest of the members groaned.

"Oh, calm down," Cheol chided the group. "I know it's not much time but we've pulled it together under worse circumstances. You'll be fine." He waved his hand dismissively before placing it on Jeonghan's shoulder and giving it a light squeeze.

"Come on, Vernon," Cheol ordered, moving his hand from Jeonghan's shoulder to Hansol's. The two of them exited the practice room to the sound of eleven boys taking their positions and Soonyoung calling out directions.

The lobby was buzzing with activity while Cheol and Hansol waited for their manager to pull the car around. Somehow, Cheol felt as if the sounds of the lobby were background music in a drama. The melody of voices played softly over the timely beat of footsteps. It almost felt like a moment suspended in time. He scanned Hansol's face and contemplated what to say to him. One question burned in the forefront of his mind but he didn't dare to ask it just yet. His concentration broke as Hansol yawned.

"Did you even get any sleep last night?" Cheol asked. Hansol shrugged and rubbed his eyes.

"I slept," he replied, his sentence broken by another yawn, "but I feel like I was awake all night running around. I had a weird dream." Cheol's heart pounded.

"What kind of dream?" He asked, trying to sound casually interested. Just then the two boys noticed their car pull up in front of the glass double doors. They walked in step with each other without realizing, then Cheol held the door before following Hansol out.

"I don't know, I don't remember it all," Hansol said, getting back to Cheol's question as they climbed into the car and fastened their seatbelts. "I just remember I was running for a long time. I think you were with me." He shrugged, leaning back and taking out his phone.  
Cheol studied Hansol's face carefully as Hansol was absorbed in his phone. Hansol didn't seem bothered by the dream other than feeling worn out. Cheol shook his head, convinced he was over thinking the situation.  
"Probably a fever dream," he concluded, leaning back in his seat with a sigh.  
"Yeah," Hansol murmured, still absorbed in his phone.

~~~

Jeonghan landed both feet softly on the cave floor as the two boys before him slowly raised their hands. He shook his wings a bit before letting them fall comfortably to his back. Sword in hand, he took slow, deliberate steps, circling the boys until he was facing them. The younger boy's eyes widened in a mixture of amazement and fear. It was an expression Jeonghan was all too familiar with.

"Why was that man chasing you?" Jeonghan asked in his silky voice. The older boy bit his lower lip as if contemplating how to answer.

"I know you're dragons," Jeonghan sighed, rolling his eyes. "But if you expect me to believe that was a typical dragon hunter-"

"It wasn't?" The older boy interrupted incredulously. Jeonghan let out a soft chuckle.

"Who are you, that a royal guard would be chasing you this deep into the forest?" Jeonghan asked. The boys glanced at each other, then the older boy spoke up again.

"We’re just farm boys. I mean... I don't know... We're not-" Jeonghan silenced him with a delicate gesture.

"Well you're either very important, or very notorious," he mused, a sly grin spreading across his glowing face. Judging internally that they were most likely actually just ignorant farm boys who posed no threat to him, Jeonghan sheathed his sword. The boys were visibly relieved.

"You can lower your hands," Jeonghan told them. He chuckled again, noticing the younger of the two staring at his wings folded across his back. The boy blinked, met Jeonghan's gaze, and blushed slightly.

"It's ok," Jeonghan teased. With a charming wink he gracefully spread his wings to their full span. The tips of them slightly brushed the sides of the cave's mouth. The young boy gaped in astonishment.

"I've never seen a-" he started. Jeonghan cut him off.

"Never seen an Archangel before?" He chuckled, sweeping his shining hair from one of his broad shoulders with a casual toss of his head. "I get that a lot." His eyes shifted from the younger boy to the older, who was grinning at him.

"So, can you help us?" The boy asked. He extended his hand toward Jeonghan adding, "I'm Seungcheol. This is my younger brother Hansol." Jeonghan contemplated before shaking Seungcheol's hand.

"My name is Jeonghan," he replied. "I'm not really in a position to join you, per say, but I can keep an eye on you whenever I happen to be nearby." Seungcheol gave him a grin full of admiration.

"That's good enough for me," he replied. He chuckled and patted Hansol's back.

"We have a real live guardian angel," Hansol murmured in disbelief. Jeonghan gave a genuine laugh.

"I guess you could say that," he allowed, shaking his head in amusement. He dropped his wings to his back once more and started to walk back out of the cave.

"Where are you going?" Cheol asked, following Jeonghan with his eyes.

"I told you, I can't join you," Jeonghan replied, spreading his wings once more in the small clearing. "I'll be looking out, don't worry." He playfully saluted the boys, gave a strong flap of his wings and ascended, watching his new charges shrink as he rose higher and higher. Once above the treeline, Jeonghan stretched his wings and flexed them more powerfully, like rowing a boat. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the cool, slightly humid air blowing across his face as he flew.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hani, wake up!" Soonyoung whined, firmly shaking Jeonghan by his shoulders. Jeonghan frowned, his eyes still closed.

"Hoshi, stop!" He groaned, swatting at Soonyoung's hands and rolling over on the couch. Soonyoung gave a frustrated grunt.

"Hani, we have to practice. If Vernon can't perform tomorrow we have to know the new formation," he pleaded. At the mention of Hansol's name Jeonghan's eyes snapped open. He sat straight up on the couch and started looking around him for his phone. 

"What time is it?" He asked, patting at his clothes and the couch cushions. "Has Coups called?"

Soonyoung picked Jeonghan's phone up from the floor and handed it to him as he replied, "It's 2pm. You were asleep for an hour." Jeonghan rolled his eyes.

"No, he hadn't called yet," Soonyoung sighed. Jeonghan was already busy checking his text messages. 

"Well he hasn't texted me like he said he would either," he grumbled, impatiently tapping the phone call icon next to Seungcheol's name at the top of the thread. Soonyoung ran his hands anxiously through his hair. Jeonghan looked up at him, waving dismissively.

"Go ahead, I'll be there soon," he said. Soonyoung headed back to the practice room, dragging his feet. Jeonghan was just rolling his eyes again as he heard Seungcheol finally answer the phone.

"Why haven't you texted me?" Jeonghan snapped. 

"I'm sorry!" Cheol replied sheepishly. "We waited so long for the doctor I fell asleep." Jeonghan clicked his tongue sarcastically.

"Well what kind of leader are you, sleeping on the job?" He asked, ignoring the fact that he had also been napping at the time.

"Jesus Hani, are you my co-member or my nagging wife?" Cheol groaned. Jeonghan was glad Cheol couldn't see him blush over the phone.

"Well how is he?" Jeonghan asked in a more polite tone. Cheol sighed.

"There is apparently nothing wrong with him other than the fever," he replied. "No virus, no infection. Not even a common cold." Jeonghan scratched his neck with his free hand, deep in contemplation.

"That's weird," he mused. "Are you guys coming back now?"

"Yeah we should be leaving here in a few minutes," Cheol replied. "Vernon isn't performing tomorrow though. The doctor said it would be better to be safe than sorry."

"Ok," Jeonghan sighed. "Well I'd better let you go before Hoshi has a fit. See you soon." 

"Hey, Hani?" Cheol said in a meek tone before Jeonghan could hang up.

"Yeah?"

"Have you had any weird dreams or anything lately?"

Jeonghan opened his mouth to reply but held his breath, remembering the moments before Soonyoung had woken him up. The sensation of flying had felt so real. Jeonghan could still feel the gentle breeze running through his hair, the lightness in his limbs as he soared gracefully above the trees.

"Hani?" Cheol repeated. Jeonghan snapped back to reality.

"I have to go, Coups. We can talk about it later," he hastily replied.

"Ok, later."

Soonyoung appeared in the doorway again just as Jeonghan was putting away his phone.

"Are they coming back?" Soonyoung asked hopefully.

"Coups is coming back but Vernon won't be performing," Jeonghan answered, following Soonyoung out of the break room.

"Then we'll need you to take his place in the new choreo," Soonyoung said. "It will flow best because of your position." Jeonghan nodded.

"Ok guys," Soonyoung called out across the room. The members quickly cut off their conversations and turned their attention to their performance leader. Soonyoung made his way to the center point of the practice floor as the members gathered into their positions. 

"Jeonghan is going to take Vernon’s place in the lifting part of the choreo," he explained. "I think we're ok on the other parts but we need to run through that one a few times, so let's just get into our positions right before we lift Seungkwan. " Everyone shuffled around to their places around Soonyoung, Minghao, Seungkwan, and Jeonghan who were facing each other in the center. This dance point required Soonyoung and Jeonghan to lift Seungkwan off the floor while Minghao did a classic b-boy spin and then slid across the floor between them, under Seungkwan's feet. Once Minghao was clear they would set Seungkwan back on the floor to belt out his high note as Minghao stood up in an even more impressive spin behind him.

After trying three times and Minghao nearly being stepped on twice, the boys couldn't get Seungkwan off the floor high enough.

"I can't do it Kwannie," Jeonghan said in an apologetic tone. "You're too heavy for me." 

"We could switch it," Soonyoung suggested. "We lift Hao while Seungkwan slides on the floor." Jeonghan nodded, looking impressed with Soonyoung's quick thinking. Seungkwan looked frantically from Jeonghan to Soonyoung and back.

"It won't be as good that way," he whined. "Plus if I slide on the floor and jump up I won't have time to take a deep enough breath for my high note."

"I'm sorry, Seungkwan. I can't lift you," Jeonghan apologized. Seungkwan looked thoughtful for a moment. A look briefly flashed across his face as if a lightbulb came on above his head, but quickly vanished and he looked back into Jeonghan's eyes timidly.

"Please try one more time," he pleaded. "I'll try to make it easier." Jeonghan frowned but Seungkwan wheedled him with puppy eyes.

"All right," Jeonghan finally agreed. They each returned to their original positions and prepared to start. Soonyoung counted down the beat and Jeonghan braced himself to bear Seungkwan's weight, worried for Minghao's safety. However, this time they raised Seungkwan straight up and over Minghao with hardly any effort. Seungkwan landed gracefully on the floor just when he was supposed to. Jeonghan stared at him for a second, puzzled, but continued with the choreography until Hoshi told them to stop. 

Several hours later, after a long day of rehearsing, the boys headed out to get dinner and rest before the next day's performance. Seungkwan carefully avoided being alone with Jeonghan the whole time they were out, which just irritated Jeonghan and made him all the more suspicious. Finally, once they got home and everyone began to settle down for the night, Jeonghan caught Seungkwan in the hallway with his towel and pajamas, preparing to take a shower. Jeonghan hastily grabbed his own towel and some clean pajamas and followed Seungkwan into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Seungkwan dropped his towel in the floor, startled.

"Hyung, what are you doing?" He asked, his voice slightly shaking. Jeonghan didn't answer but threw his towel and clothes over the towel bar and turned the shower on. Seungkwan stood frozen as Jeonghan skipped back from the shower to the door as if he were listening for something, then stepped closer to Seungkwan.

"How did you do it?" Jeonghan demanded in a quiet but stern voice.

"Do what?" Seungkwan stammered. Jeonghan narrowed his eyes.

"You know what," he insisted. "I know I didn't lift you." Seungkwan looked around as if he thought there might be a way to escape.

"I don't know," he appealed, having decided that playing dumb was his only option since he was cornered. "Hoshi is really strong, you know?" Jeonghan rolled his eyes.

"Come on, like I'm going to buy that," he scoffed. Seungkwan gulped. Jeonghan backed away a little bit, then reached forward and poked Seungkwan in the ribs forcefully.

"Ow!" Seungkwan exclaimed. "Hani that hu-OW" Jeonghan poked him again, harder.

"How did you do it?" He demanded. "How?" He continued poking and jabbing at Seungkwan, who futilely tried swatting Jeonghan's hands away.

"Please stop," Seungkwan pleaded.

"Tell me how!" Jeonghan continued despite Seungkwan's whining. 

They struggled for another few seconds, Jeonghan refusing to let up until suddenly Seungkwan cried out, "Enough!"

Jeonghan's mouth gaped in awe as he watched Seungkwan quickly and fluidly leap from the floor and hover for a moment, his head mere inches from the ceiling, before slowly coming back down to stand on top of the sink. Jeonghan stared up into Seungkwan's terrified face for a few seconds before a sly grin spread across his own.

"Don't be afraid, Seungkwanie," he whispered. "I can do it too."


	4. Chapter 4

"Hoshi," Seokmin said as he entered the bedroom, "It’s getting late.”

”I know, I’m going to bed,” Soonyoung groaned, flopping into bed and pulling the comforter up to his chin. Seokmin climbed into the top bunk above Soonyoung, and settled in under the blankets. Hansol and Joshua were already tucked into their respective bunks across the room.

"Vernon, how are you feeling?" Seokmin asked, directing his question to the messy pile of blankets and clothes on the top bunk across from him. Hansol peeked his face out from under the covers.

"I'm fine, really," he replied. "Just tired."

"I hope you sleep better tonight," Seokmin responded. "Wake one of us up if you need us."

"I will," Hansol promised. 

As the boys said goodnight to each other and settled in for sleep, the bedroom door opened and Jeonghan stuck his head in the room, leaning against the door frame. 

"Vernon, come wake me up if you need me," he ordered. Hansol shifted to look at him. 

"Ok," he replied. Soonyoung laughed.

"He'd have better luck waking the dead," he teased. Jeonghan rolled his eyes with a sarcastic fake laugh.

"I'm serious," he insisted, turning his attention back to Hansol. "Come get me if you need me." Hansol nodded and the five of them exchanged good nights. Jeonghan headed to the living room, closing the door behind him.

"Where's Jihoonie?" Mingyu asked as Jeonghan took a seat on the couch beside Seungcheol.

"Where else would he be?" Jeonghan asked rhetorically. "He's at the studio." Mingyu got up from his chair and started to leave the room.

"Mingyu, he'll probably be there all night. You know he never stops working," Cheol added. Mingyu stopped and turned back to the older boys. 

"I'll take him a snack and see how he's doing," he told them. Cheol nodded.

"Just make sure you get back soon and get some sleep before the show tomorrow," he said. Mingyu nodded.

"I will," he assured his leader. As he left the room he vaguely heard Jeonghan teasing Cheol and felt oddly comforted. Mingyu had felt like there was something weird going on all day, but seeing all of the members back home and acting like themselves put him at ease.

Mingyu pulled a canvas shopping bag from one of the cabinets and threw in a box of cereal, milk, seaweed snacks, and a couple of instant ramen cups. He carried the bag to his room with him to grab a hoodie before heading out to the studio.

"Where are you going?" Minghao asked, rolling over in bed to face Mingyu. 

"Just taking some snacks to the studio for Jihoon," Mingyu replied, pulling on a hoodie. Minghao got out of bed and peeked in the shopping bag while Mingyu gathered his phone and wallet from the dresser.

"Ok but I'm taking some of these seaweed snacks," Minghao said, snatching one of the packages from out of the bag and then flopping back into his bed. Mingyu laughed.

"I won't be gone long," he told his roommate, "but I'll try to be quiet when I come in so I won't wake you up." Minghao just shrugged, crunching on seaweed. Mingyu started to walk out the door.

"Gyu, the bag," Minghao called after him. Mingyu turned back to get it.

"What would I do without you?" He asked Minghao sarcastically. Minghao sighed.

"Honestly I wouldn't want to know." He replied, deadpan. Mingyu winked at him and left again, pulling the shopping bag strap over his shoulder.

The walk from the dorm to the recording studio was short, but it had gotten cold out and Mingyu quickly regretted not wearing a warmer jacket. He sped up, breaking into a full on run as soon as the studio was in view. Once inside he stopped for a moment to appreciate the warmth. 

"What are you doing?" A familiar voice asked from the top of a small flight of stairs. Mingyu looked up to see Jihoon making his way down to the first floor.

"I brought you some snacks," Mingyu explained, handing over the bag as Jihoon reached him.

"Thanks, I was just thinking about ordering food," Jihoon said, happily perusing the contents of the bag. "Come sit with me for a minute before you go back out in the cold." Mingyu nodded and followed Jihoon down the hallway to the small break room. Jihoon dropped the bag on the counter and opened the cabinets, taking out a bowl and spoon. As he poured a bowl of cereal Mingyu opened the small refrigerator and took out two bottles of water, setting one of them in front of Jihoon as they both sat down at the table.

"What are you working on?" Mingyu asked. Jihoon took a bite of cereal and pointed the empty spoon at Mingyu.

"A song for me?" Mingyu asked, surprised. Jihoon rolled his eyes as he chewed. 

"Oh for the hip hop unit." Mingyu corrected himself. 

"Yeah, I'm just working with that beat Vernon made," Jihoon replied. "He asked me to polish it up but honestly it's already really good. I'll let you hear it after this." He gestured at his cereal. 

The two of them chatted a little more until Jihoon finished eating, then Mingyu followed him upstairs to the small studio. The room was very tidy, but showed many signs of how much time Jihoon actually spent there. It had a homey atmosphere.

Mingyu stretched out comfortably on Jihoon's couch. This was the first time he had actually seen the couch since he had helped carry it up to the studio. It had been a gift from Jeonghan, Cheol, and Joshua after Jeonghan had come to check on Jihoon once and found him sleeping curled up uncomfortably in his rolling chair. Mingyu mused over the memory as Jihoon unplugged his headphones and plugged in the speakers. After some clicking and a little swearing at his equipment, the song started to play softly from the speakers. Jihoon started talking but Mingyu barely heard a word of it. As soon as the music started he suddenly couldn't keep his eyes open. The melody and Jihoon's voice washed over him like waves and he drifted off to sleep.

~~~

Mingyu awoke to the sound of Seungkwan's voice ringing through the cottage while Jihoon played his lute. The sun was already streaming in through the windows. Mingyu stretched, wondering why he had slept so late and no one had called for him. He got up and dressed carefully, having to bend almost completely over so not to hit his head on the rafters as he moved around the small loft. He heard the others' laughter as he got ready, and it put him in a good mood.

"Well it's nice of you to finally join us," Granny called out as Mingyu climbed down the ladder into the main room of the cottage. Mingyu smiled when he saw the old woman sitting at the end of the table, her long silver hair flowing like a mountain stream around her round, age-worn face. Her large, stone gray eyes shone like polished crystals. Granny's laugh was the most beautiful sound in Mingyu's life. It was like a pleasant, cheerful bell ringing. 

"Good morning, Granny," he said as he approached the chair where she sat, peeling potatoes. He leaned over next to her and she kissed his cheek firmly.

"There's my handsome boy," Granny laughed, patting Mingyu's arm as he stood back up. 

"How come I'm not your handsome boy?" Seungkwan pouted. Jihoon laughed at him, placing his small lute on the table in front of him. 

"You're all my handsome boys," Granny chuckled, dropping a peeled potato into the bowl and glancing over at the fire. 

"But you're going to be my handsome, skinny boys if you don't pay attention and keep the fire burning so I can cook," she added, rising from her chair. Mingyu reached out to stop her.

"No, Granny, I'll do it," he said. Seungkwan flew sheepishly to the wood pile and back, handing Mingyu a few small pieces. Mingyu took them from his younger brother and quickly ignited them with his bare hands before dropping them gently into the fireplace. Seungkwan, eager to make up for his inattention, prodded at the logs with the poker as he hovered there, his small wings fluttering like a busy little bee. 

Jihoon had set aside his lute and taken up sewing one of Seungkwan's shirts, his small hands moving quickly from one stitch to the next. Granny watched them each in turn, her eyes full of admiration. Mingyu took a seat at the table beside Granny, picked up the knife she had set down, and began peeling the rest of the potatoes. 

"Boys, while I'm away I know you'll be able to take good care of each other but I need you to listen to me," Granny started, motioning Seungkwan back to the table. "Please get along with each other while I'm gone." Mingyu laughed.

"I'm serious," Granny continued. "Seungkwan, mind your older brothers." Jihoon gave a sarcastic laugh. Seungkwan blushed.

"Mingyu, don't tease the others so much," Granny added. Mingyu grinned at her, reaching across the table for another potato.

"And Jihoon," Granny said in a severe tone. Jihoon stopped sewing and looked up wide-eyed. "No biting or hitting your younger brothers.”

"I won't, Granny," Jihoon chuckled, resuming his work.

"I may be gone longer than expected and I need to know my boys are going to be ok," with those words Granny leaned back in her chair with an air of finality.

"We'll behave," Seungkwan promised. "When you get back it will be like you never left." Granny smiled at each of them, taking in the looks on their innocent faces. She never ceased to be amazed at how much she could love raising three boys who weren't even her own, when she had never wanted children to begin with.

After they had all eaten and everything was tidied up, Granny went to her room to prepare for her journey to the castle. Mingyu hated to see her go, knowing how much she preferred the solitary cottage to the bustle of the city that Mingyu himself had never seen. He followed her into the room as Seungkwan and Jihoon went back to their songs.

"Do you really have to go?" Mingyu asked, carefully taking a seat on the edge of Granny's bed as she packed the necessities for her journey. She stopped for a moment and gave Mingyu a meaningful look.

"I really wish I didn't, baby," she replied. After another moment she went back to her task. "I'm afraid if I don't answer the Queen's summons for midwives someone will show up here looking for me. Better that I just go now." Mingyu frowned.

"Surely there are plenty of midwives in the city?" He mused. Granny sighed.

"Not any with the experience I have," she said vaguely. Mingyu didn't pry. He knew that Granny had been the one to deliver him and his brothers before their mother had been taken away. He had never asked for any details. It seemed to be a painful topic for Granny.

As if she could sense his thoughts, Granny set her bag down and stood beside Mingyu, hugging him and planting a kiss on the top of his head.

"I'll tell you about her when I get back," she promised, taking his face in her hands and turning it gently up to look into his eyes. "I think you're all old enough to know now." Mingyu nodded. Granny hugged him one more time and turned back to collect her cloak and bag. Mingyu followed her out of the room.

"Behave, my sweet boys," Granny said once again, showering Jihoon and Seungkwan with kisses on their cheeks and foreheads. The boys followed her outside and waited as she made her way out into the forest. When she was almost out of view she turned back and the three of them waved goodbye before she turned and stepped out of their sight. 

"I hope she comes back soon," Seungkwan sniffled. Mingyu wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Me too," was all he could reply.


	5. Chapter 5

Once Granny was long gone and the boys were fed up with pouting and puttering around, Mingyu grabbed his jacket and told Jihoon he was going into the forest to collect firewood. 

"Be back before dark," Jihoon ordered. Mingyu nodded. 

"I won't be gone long," he promised. 

Once he was alone in the forest and far enough away from the cottage so that his brothers wouldn't see him, Mingyu found a fallen tree in a familiar spot, sat down, and cried. He truthfully didn't believe Granny would be coming back. She was an old woman going on a long journey alone. A powerful witch, sure. But she wasn't immortal. Mingyu really didn't know what he and his brothers were supposed to do if Granny never returned.

Once he'd had time to get himself together, he went back to the task of gathering firewood, making sure he didn't stray too far from the cottage to get back before dark. As he made his way deeper among the trees, he could faintly hear the crash of hooves not too far away. The echoes from nearby caves made it difficult to tell where the sound was coming from, and it unnerved Mingyu. 

What would a rider be doing this far out in the forest? He wondered. Suddenly, out of nowhere the brush about twenty yards ahead of him burst into flames. Startled, Mingyu dropped the wood he was carrying, turned, and ran back towards the cottage. As he neared the cottage the smell of smoke grew stronger and Mingyu's heart raced. He could hear raised voices and the whinny of horses. Suddenly he heard a familiar scream that he knew belonged to Seungkwan.

Running as fast as he could, Mingyu closed the distance to the cottage just in time to see the burning thatch roof fall in. Frantically thinking of his brothers he rounded the corner of the cottage prepared to break the door down only to find that the door had already been broken down off of its hinges. Mingyu covered his nose and mouth with his shirt and leaned into the cottage, squinting against the smoke and desperately calling his brothers' names. There was no response, so Mingyu took a deep breath, held it, and plunged into the burning cottage. He searched the small space but Seungkwan and Jihoon were nowhere to be found. The flames singed Mingyu's clothes and licked at his skin but he didn't show any signs of burning. 

Mingyu stumbled on his way out of the cottage and fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Whoever had broken into the cottage had taken his brothers and they were long gone. He could never catch up with their horses, even if he could follow their trail. His eyes stung with tears and smoke as he struggled to breathe. 

"Let me help you," a smooth, calm voice called out of nowhere. Mingyu looked up and nearly lost his breath all over again. The man walking towards him had glowing skin, hair that shone like polished silver, and huge white wings coming right out of the middle of his back. He wore light armor and carried a sword, but as he approached Mingyu, he reached out his gloved hand with a helpful expression. Mingyu took his hand and the man helped him up. 

"Are you-" Mingyu gasped, his question cut off by a violent cough. The man quickly removed one of his gloves and touched his bare hand to Mingyu's chest. Soft blue light glowed from the place where the mysterious man's hand made contact with Mingyu. After a few seconds the coughing stopped and Mingyu's breathing returned to normal.

"...An angel?" The man smirked, finishing Mingyu's question for him. "I think you know the answer to that." Mingyu stared at him in awe.

"My name is Jeonghan," the angel said. “It looks like I found you just in time." After Jeonghan had introduced himself, yet another portion of roof collapsed into the cottage. Mingyu turned and stared at it, speechless.

"I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner," Jeonghan said softly. 

"That's the only home I've ever known," Mingyu confessed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. Jeonghan slid his glove back on. 

"I'm sorry for your loss," he said gently. "Unfortunately I can only heal physical pain." Mingyu turned back to face him.

"Thank you," he said. "I'm Mingyu. My brothers-"

"Are gone, but relatively safe," Jeonghan cut in. "They're close enough that I could sense if they weren't." They both suddenly looked up as they heard large wings flapping overhead. A beautiful red and gold phoenix circled the clearing, then took off out of view. 

"That's a good sign, Mingyu," Jeonghan said. Mingyu sniffled, looking back at the destroyed cottage. 

"I don't have anything anymore," he whimpered. 

"You still have your brothers," Jeonghan pointed out. "Go find them." Mingyu nodded. 

"Can you help me?" He asked, looking up a the angel with eyes full of hope. Jeonghan shook his head. 

"I'm sorry but I can't go with you," he answered. Mingyu gave a defeated sigh. 

"I may know someone who can though," Jeonghan offered. "Do you know the cave that's about fifty yards west of here?" 

Mingyu nodded, grateful for any help the angel could give him.

~~~

Minghao peered out the tree house window when he heard the familiar flapping of wings. Sure enough, the red and gold plumage came immediately into view. The phoenix flew gracefully towards the treehouse and did a beautiful flip before gliding effortlessly in through the large, open window. 

"Show off," Minghao muttered as the bird landed on the bed, folding its wings. Minghao turned back to his book. 

"You're never going to admit that you're jealous?" Jun teased. Minghao looked back over his shoulder to the bed, where his best friend now sat in the place of the bird, pulling on the clothes he had left sitting at the end of the bed. 

"Oh you can fly, I'm so jealous," Minghao retorted. Jun laughed. 

"Hey I have some news you're going to want to hear," he said in a sing-song voice. Minghao marked his page and closed the book. 

"I'm listening," he said casually, careful to hide his intrigue. 

"I saw people down there," Jun said excitedly. 

"Okay..." Minghao drawled, unimpressed. Jun leaned toward Minghao, his eyes shining with excitement.

"People like us," he explained. Minghao stared at him in disbelief. They had been hiding for so long. The thought of meeting others like them made his heart race. 

"Uh, Hao..." Jun said, gesturing at the book still in Minghao's hands. Minghao looked down at the book, now starting to burn in his glowing red hands. 

"Not again," he grumbled, quickly dropping the book by his feet and stamping out the small flames. Jun laughed excitedly. 

"We're not alone after all," he sighed, leaning over to look out the window.


	6. Chapter 6

Seokmin woke up suddenly and slowly opened his eyes. He looked around groggily, but the room was still pitch black and silent. He rolled over and settled back into his pillow, yawning quietly. Something wouldn't let him fall back asleep, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. He breathed in deeply to heave an irritated sigh and immediately sat bolt upright.

He smelled something burning. 

Tossing the blankets aside, he frantically looked around the room.

"Guys, wake up," he called to his roommates. Joshua and Soonyoung barely stirred as Seokmin oriented himself to climb down the bunk bed ladder. Hansol whimpered in his sleep.

"Guys come on, get up!" Seokmin repeated himself, looking up to check on Hansol. He gasped, crossing the space between the two bunk beds in one long step.

"Vernon!" He yelled, yanking the smoldering comforter from the bunk. Hansol started crying but didn't wake up. Seokmin stood on the edge of Joshua's bed to get closer to Hansol, inadvertently kicking Joshua awake.

"What are you doing?" Joshua groaned, finally waking up.

"Josh, get up," Seokmin urged. "Something is really wrong with Vernon!" Joshua quickly sat up and slid out of bed, standing up to assess the situation.

"Oh my God!" Joshua cried out as soon as he saw. Hansol was shivering in his bed, crying and soaked in sweat. His hands and chest glowed red and orange like the embers of a fire. The blankets and mattress were smoldering. Joshua ran over and flicked on the light switch. Soonyoung, finally awake, also leapt into action.

"Wake him up!" He shouted. 

"I tried," Seokmin replied. "He won't wake up!" 

"Shake him!" Joshua ordered, reaching over the edge of the bed and instantly retracting from the heat. Suddenly the bedroom door flew open. Seungcheol and Jeonghan nearly tripped over each other trying to run into the room. 

"What happen-OH MY GOD!" Jeonghan exclaimed, pushing Joshua out of the way and reaching for Hansol. He got as far as touching Hansol's arm, then jerked his hand back. He cursed, waving his burnt fingers. Seungcheol placed both hands on Jeonghan's shoulders and gently moved him out of the way. He reached up into Hansol's bed with both arms and slid them under the younger boy's back and knees, pulling him to the edge. 

The others scrambled out of the way as Seungcheol expertly pulled Hansol out of bed and into his arms. His t-shirt began to smolder as he held Hansol braced against his chest, but he didn't show any signs of being affected by the heat. All four of the others gaped as Seungcheol silently and carefully carried Hansol out of the bedroom and down the hall to the bathroom. Minghao had come out of his room next door to see what was going on and stared in shock when he saw Hansol.

"Hao, open the bathroom door," Cheol ordered. Minghao quickly did as he was told and Cheol carried Hansol inside, carefully laid him in the tub and slid to his knees beside him. Supporting Hansol's head with his right hand, he reached out with his left and turned on the shower, letting cold water run all over the burning boy. 

Hansol awoke as the water rained down on him, crying and sputtering as the water splashed over his face.

"Shhh, shhhh," Seungcheol shushed him, wiping Hansol's face with his hands. "It's ok, you're safe." He continued murmuring to the younger boy and gently wiping his face and neck until he finally settled down. The red orange glow of Hansol's skin subsided and his normal color started to return. He stared at Cheol wide-eyed, trying to catch his breath. Suddenly Jeonghan was there, sliding gracefully to his knees beside Cheol.

"Are you ok?" He asked Hansol, reaching out to take his now cool hand. Hansol looked from Cheol's face to Jeonghan's, still not even blinking. He nodded, his teeth chattering. Jeonghan turned off the water and turned his head toward the door.

"Somebody bring a towel and some clothes," he called over his shoulder. There was a rush of footsteps in the hallway. Jeonghan turned back to Cheol, who looked relieved and exhausted. He wrapped his arm around the back of Cheol's neck and pulled his friend close so that his head rested on Jeonghan's shoulder.

"How are your burns?" Cheol asked softly, picking up Jeonghan's hand and turning it over. There were no signs of any burns on Jeonghan's fingers. Puzzled, Cheol picked up Jeonghan's other hand and examined it. Neither hand showed any sign of the burns Cheol had witnessed with his own eyes. He raised his head and looked into Jeonghan's eyes quizzically.

"How did they already heal?" Cheol whispered. Jeonghan shrugged.

"I guess they weren't that bad after all," he replied, shifting his eyes down to his own hand. Cheol narrowed his eyes.

"I think we're past the point of keeping secrets from each other," he said. Joshua suddenly appeared behind them with a towel. 

"Is everything ok?" He asked, examining Hansol. Jeonghan nodded, removing his arm from Cheol's shoulders and taking the towel from Joshua.

"We can talk about this later," Cheol said, looking up into Joshua's calm, reassuring face. "Right now everybody needs to try to get back to sleep. We have a show tonight." 

"I'll try to calm everybody down," Joshua replied. "They're all up now." Cheol sighed.

"Hey guys," Minghao called into the bathroom, leaning his head in, "Mingyu isn't here." Jeonghan and Cheol immediately looked at each other, meeting with matching worried stares.

"What the actual hell is going on?" Joshua sighed, taking a seat on the sink. Minghao leaned against the door frame and looked from Cheol’s confused face to Jeonghan’s. 

"Go call him," Jeonghan suggested, returning to the topic of Mingyu. "Jihoon wasn't in his bed either so they're probably both still at the studio." Minghao left the doorway and ran back to his room. Cheol's mind was racing. Hansol had fallen asleep in the tub, so Jeonghan just covered him with the towel, gently tucking him in. 

"Ok we need to talk," Cheol finally said. "Now."

"Want me to gather up the boys?" Joshua asked, still holding his face with his hand. 

"No," Cheol replied. "I mean the three of us." Jeonghan shifted his weight and changed positions to sit cross legged on the floor, rubbing his knees.

"Josh, close the door," Cheol instructed, raising up to sit on the edge of the bath tub. Joshua reached out without moving from his perch on the edge of the sink and flicked his hand toward the door. The door swung shut on its own. Jeonghan and Cheol stared at Joshua, who finally looked up to meet their gaze. He looked from them to the door, then back to them.

"Come on, after what just happened you're really going to act surprised?" Joshua sighed, gesturing toward Hansol. 

"Fair enough," Cheol conceded, running his hand through his hair. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs and interlacing his fingers. "So, where should we start?"


	7. Chapter 7

Mingyu hurried along the familiar creek bed as the sun began to set behind the treeline. He knew if he didn't slow down he could make it to the cave before dark. He held tightly to the bag he'd managed to pack after the flames had died down and the smoke had cleared in the cottage. It was all that remained of his life as he knew it. He hugged the last few precious, unburnt items to his chest. The gaping hole in his heart felt big enough to swallow them up.

He saw the shadows of a small fire as he finally approached the cave, and slowed his pace so not to startle the occupants. As he got closer he could just make out the two boys sitting on the opposite side of the fire, facing the opening of the cave. When they noticed Mingyu they both stood up. Their posture was defensive, but Mingyu could tell they looked tired.

"Don't come any closer," the older boy warned, stepping around the fire and putting himself between Mingyu and the younger boy. Mingyu stopped, hooked the strap of his bag over his shoulder and raised both hands in a submissive gesture.

"I'm not coming to hurt you," he explained. "My name is Mingyu. I'm...uh...I'm like you." The other two boys gave each other confused looks. 

"The angel sent me here," Mingyu continued, beginning to lose his nerve. He took a shaky breath and blinked back the tears that had begun to cloud his eyes. 

"You're a dragon?" The younger boy asked, taking a few steps toward Mingyu. His brother reached out and stopped him as he got within reach. 

"Yeah," Mingyu replied. His hands, still raised, had begun to shake. "Look, I just lost my whole family and I really don't know what to do. Jeonghan said you might be able to help me." He couldn't hold back the tears anymore and dropped his hands to wipe his wet cheeks. 

"Come on in," the older boy said softly, taking a step toward Mingyu and waving him on into the cave. "I'm Seungcheol and this is Hansol," he continued, taking Mingyu's hand and leading him around the fire and back to where the two brothers had previously sat. The three of them got as comfortable as the space would allow. Seungcheol internally decided to give Mingyu some time to get himself together before asking any questions. 

"What happened to your family?" Hansol impatiently blurted out. Seungcheol gave him a disappointed look. Hansol cringed sheepishly.

"My Granny left today to go to the castle," Mingyu replied, crossing his long legs in the small area between himself and the fire. "After she left I went out to get some firewood and while I was gone someone broke into our house, kidnapped my two brothers, and burned the place down. This was all I could salvage." He illustrated his story by holding up the small bag. 

At the mention of Mingyu's brothers being kidnapped, Seungcheol glanced protectively at Hansol.

"So if you have two brothers, then that means there are more of us?" Hansol asked, wide-eyed. "More dragons?" Mingyu shook his head.

"My older brother Jihoon is a brownie. Seungkwan, the youngest, is a pixie," he explained. Seungcheol narrowed his eyes in confusion. 

"You're a dragon but your brothers are fey?" He asked. Mingyu shrugged. 

"We never knew our parents," he said, looking into the fire thoughtfully. "We never knew anyone other than each other and Granny. So we never really thought to question it." Seungcheol gave an understanding nod. 

"We never knew our real parents either," he confessed. "We grew up on the edge of the forest. Our adoptive parents were farmers but they died last year in a fire and it's just been the two of us since then." At the mention of the fire, Hansol's posture stiffened. Seungcheol looked over at him and frowned apologetically. Mingyu, still gazing into the fire, didn't notice the exchange. 

"I'm really sorry to hear that," he said, finally looking up at Seungcheol, "I'm sure it's been hard on you both."

"We were getting by," Seungcheol replied. "Until this morning. We had rabbit traps set out along the edge of the forest. While we were out checking them two hooded and armored men showed up on horses. We saw them break into the house so we ran. One of them chased us but we managed to escape. Now here we are." He ended his story by gesturing with both hands at the cave in which they sat. Mingyu pondered over the story. 

"I heard the horse chasing you," he said, putting two and two together. "Did one of you throw flames into the brush?" Seungcheol grinned. 

"Yeah, that was me," he answered. "It was the only distraction I could think of to get him off of our trail." 

"You nearly hit me!" Mingyu laughed.

"I'm sorry! I didn't think anyone would be out this deep in the forest!" Seungcheol apologized, hanging his head playfully. Mingyu's smile instantly dropped from his face as a revelation struck him.

"What if the men who chased you are the same ones who took my brothers?" He suggested. 

"The timeline kind of adds up," Seungcheol mused, "and they seemed to know both of our locations."

"We thought they were dragon hunters," Hansol added. "If they knew where we were and that you weren't far, maybe they had come for all three of us."

"But if they were after dragons why take my brothers? Why not wait for me?" Mingyu reasoned. Seungcheol ran his hand through his hair.

"Maybe because they knew you would go after them?" He proposed. Mingyu frowned. 

"Jeonghan said it was a royal guard chasing us," Hansol interjected. "We don't even know what they want with us. They may not even know we're dragons."

The three boys fell silent for a moment, each following his own train of thought. Suddenly a sharp gust of wind hit the fire, sending embers flying up and around the boys. They each swatted at the ashes and looked up to see Jeonghan standing in the mouth of the cave, wings still spread from his descent. 

"You really gotta stop popping up like this," Seungcheol said, clutching his chest from the surprise arrival. Jeonghan shrugged indifferently, folding his wings across his back. 

"It turns out I have some free time tonight," he said, joining the other three by the fire. "I figured you could all use some rest. I'll stay with you through the night and keep watch, but I have to leave at dawn and you'll be on your own." The others thanked him and began figuring out the logistics of how they could all sleep somewhat comfortably in the small space. Jeonghan stood up to get out of their way and moved to the opening of the cave. As the boys settled in the best they could for sleep, the angel sat looking into the forest meditatively. Mingyu glanced over at him once he'd gotten situated and wondered why an archangel cared enough to protect them. He thought about asking but Jeonghan looked deep in his own thoughts and Mingyu, exhausted from grief and physical exertion, quickly drifted into a deep sleep.

~~~

Minghao slipped into the studio quietly, assuming Mingyu and Jihoon had both fallen asleep since neither of them would answer his calls or texts. He tiptoed up the steps and slowly turned the doorknob to Jihoon's studio. As expected, Mingyu was sound asleep on the couch. Jihoon was nowhere to be seen, however. 

Minghao stepped out into the hallway to see if the bathroom light was on, but the entire building was dark and silent. Stepping back into Jihoon's studio, Minghao pulled out his phone and tried calling again. He heard a familiar ringtone from inside the room and noticed Jihoon's phone ringing on the desk.

"This isn't good," Minghao sighed, walking over to the couch to wake Mingyu.

"Gyu, wake up," he said, patting his roommate's chest. "Where's Woozi?" Mingyu didn't respond.

"Mingyu!" Minghao called louder, shaking Mingyu with both hands. Mingyu didn't so much as stir. Minghao suddenly became anxious, shaking Mingyu more forcefully and pinching his cheeks and nose, now desperate to wake him up. Mingyu still showed no response at all. Minghao slowly lowered his ear to Mingyu's chest and held his breath. When he heard Mingyu's steady heartbeat he exhaled, somewhat relieved. 

Feeling overwhelmed, Minghao did the only thing he knew to do in the situation. His hands shook as he reached for his phone he'd set on the floor beside him. Taking another deep breath to calm himself, he quickly unlocked his phone and found Seungcheol on speed dial.


	8. Chapter 8

"I mean do you think there could be like, a scientific explanation for this?" Seungcheol reasoned, scratching his head. Jeonghan leaned against the bathroom wall and laughed. 

"Yeah, I'm sure there's perfectly rational, concrete evidence that will explain how Vernon spontaneously caught fire. Internally might I add," he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Or explain why Joshua can close a door without touching it, or you can't be burned, or Seungkwan and I can fly."

"...or you can suddenly heal," Seungcheol added. 

"It's called cellular regeneration," Jeonghan retorted.

"Rapid cellular regeneration," Joshua chimed in. "Everyone has cellular regeneration, that's how the human body grows and heals itself. Rapid cellular regeneration is when your body can heal itself instantly." 

"Thank you, Doctor Hong," Jeonghan scoffed. Joshua rolled his eyes. 

"Do you think the others have these too?" Seungcheol asked, getting back to the topic. "These...powers?"

"I mean what are the odds of this happening to any one of us, let alone five?" Jeonghan replied. "I wouldn't expect the others to have them but I wouldn't be surprised if they do."

"Guys," Joshua said, a thought suddenly striking him. "Do you think maybe like, there's a secret organization that has a way of knowing what kids have superhuman abilities, and they put us together for a reason and maybe other groups in our company have powers too?" Jeonghan and Seungcheol looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"God, you are so American," Jeonghan wheezed, wiping his eyes.

"What do you think this is, X-Men?" Seungcheol asked, catching his breath. Joshua joined their laughter for a moment and the three of them tried to collect themselves. 

"Guys, we're going to wake up Vernon," Jeonghan warned in a more hushed tone, glancing at the sleeping boy in the bathtub. Their concentration was further broken when Seungcheol's phone started ringing. He took it out of his pocket and checked the screen.

"It's Hao," he announced, swiping his thumb across the screen to answer the call. "Hey, what's-" He started to talk but stopped suddenly. Jeonghan and Joshua could hear Minghao's frantic voice coming from Seungcheol's phone but couldn't make out the words. 

"Hao, slow down," Seungcheol said in a calming tone. "I can't understand, I think half of what you just said was Chinese." The room was completely silent for a moment as Minghao gathered his thoughts on the other end of the line. His next words though, even Jeonghan and Joshua could hear and understand. Very slowly and clearly, Minghao yelled into the phone,

"WOOZI. IS. GONE."

"We'll be right there," Seungcheol replied, quickly putting his phone away and standing up. "Josh, come with me," he ordered, then turned to Jeonghan.

"I know," Jeonghan said before Seungcheol could even speak. "I'm staying with Vernon. Now go!" He waved his hand to rush Seungcheol and Joshua out the door. 

Minghao was waiting on the sidewalk when Seungcheol and Joshua arrived at the studio. 

"You took forever," he whined, following as the two older boys entered the building. The three of them marched quickly up the stairs and entered Woozi's studio. Mingyu still hadn't stirred from the couch. 

"He won't wake up," Minghao explained, slipping between Seungcheol and Joshua to get to Mingyu's side. "I slapped his face and pinched him and everything." He demonstrated by slapping Mingyu squarely across the face. Mingyu didn't react at all.

"And you looked everywhere for Woozi?" Seungcheol asked. Minghao nodded.

"He's nowhere in this building but his phone is there on the desk," he affirmed. Seungcheol ran his hands through his hair. 

"Nobody told me being the leader of an idol group would be like this," he sighed. Joshua took out his phone.

"Should we call the police? What if Woozi was kidnapped?" He asked. Seungcheol shook his head. 

"There's no sign of any struggle here. Woozi may be small but you know he would have put up a big fight," he observed. Minghao nodded in agreement. 

"Besides, it's too risky to get anyone else involved right now with all the weird stuff going on," Seungcheol added. He gave a deep sigh and went to sit down on Jihoon’s rolling chair. Before he even made contact with the chair he jumped back up, gasping in shock. As Seungcheol moved away from the chair there was a loud thud and the desk shook as if something had hit it. 

"Ow!" Jihoon's voice rang out from the empty space in the floor. 

"What the-" Joshua exclaimed as Jihoon slowly appeared in front of them, sitting on the floor against his desk, rubbing one of his elbows and looking exceptionally irritated. He reached up and took off his headphones. 

"Dude, why did you sit on me?" He demanded, scowling at Seungcheol. Cheol's jaw hung open in disbelief. 

"I couldn't see you," he exclaimed. "You were literally invisible!" 

"Oh," Jihoon sighed. "Yeah, that's a thing. Surprise." 

"Wait, you mean to tell me I was in here yelling and slapping Mingyu and you were sitting there the whole time and didn't think to speak up?" Minghao cried out. Jihoon shrugged.

"I was asleep," he replied. Minghao scoffed. 

"And you didn't hear me yelling?" He added. Jihoon waved his headphones as he stood up from the floor. 

"Noise cancelling headphones," he explained. Minghao flopped himself down on the floor beside Mingyu. 

"Ok so Woozi is here but we still don't know why Mingyu won't wake up," Joshua said, bringing everyone's attention back to the situation at hand. 

"One of us will just have to sit with him until we can figure out what to do," Seungcheol decided. 

"I really think we should call an ambulance," Joshua insisted. Seungcheol shook his head.

"We can't afford to draw any attention to ourselves with all this craziness going on," he repeated. "Plus, it will probably be the same story as when I took Hansol to the doctor and they couldn't find anything wrong with him." Joshua bit his lip anxiously. 

"I'll stay with Gyu," Minghao volunteered. Seungcheol looked thoughtful for a moment. 

"No, Josh will stay with Mingyu," he said. "We're going to need you. The awards show is tonight and we can't just cancel our performance. But with Vernon and Mingyu down, Jeonghan and Joshua will need to stay with them. And we can't have Woozi turning invisible on stage. So I'm just going to have to send the performance unit to the show. You'll just have to perform one of your own songs instead of the one we were all going to perform together." 

Minghao nodded, understanding. Joshua took a seat in Jihoon's chair as the three others left to go back to the dorm. 

When they arrived, Seungcheol took Jihoon to the bathroom door and told him and Jeonghan to catch each other up on the night's events, then he and Minghao went room to room waking the others and gathering everyone into the living room. Once each member was accounted for and Seungcheol had their attention he explained his plan.

"We should go ahead and get a few hours of practice in so we'll be ready," Soonyoung suggested to his team. Minghao, Jun, and Chan groaned in unison. 

"Hoshi I’m tired," Minghao complained. "Can't we sleep first?" Soonyoung shook his head, standing up from the couch and gesturing for his teammates to follow him. 

"We can take a nap after we practice," he promised. "Go get dressed so we can get to the practice room quickly." The performance team members all shuffled down the hall to their bedrooms. 

"What are the rest of us going to do?" Jihoon asked. Seungcheol thought for a moment. 

"Take the rest of your team members to the studio and try to figure out how to wake up Mingyu. Take turns sitting with him so the others can go eat and shower and stuff. Wonwoo and I will go to the library and try to find information about what's going on." Even as Seungcheol gave a plan and instructions to his team, he still felt helpless. Nothing in his life had prepared him for this type of situation. 

As the performance team members returned to the living room, dressed and ready to go rehearse in the wee hours of the morning, Seungcheol took Soonyoung aside and the two of them stepped into the kitchen. 

"I'm really counting on you right now, Hosh," Seungcheol said, squeezing Soonyoung's shoulder. 

"Don't worry," Soonyoung reassured him. "We'll get through this together."

"At least we have one complete unit that doesn't have all this weird stuff happening to them," Seungcheol sighed, rubbing his eyes. Soonyoung gave his signature fluffy-cheeked smile. 

"Don't worry. We won't let you down," he promised. Seungcheol followed Soonyoung out of the kitchen and watched the performance team leave. Once the door was closed behind them, Seungcheol turned back to the remaining members. 

"Ok, everybody knows what to do now so let's get to work," he said. 

"I'll get my laptop," Wonwoo said as Jihoon and his team members headed to their respective bedrooms to get dressed. Once everyone had dispersed, Seungcheol went back to the bathroom with Jeonghan and closed the door. Jeonghan had folded an extra towel and placed it behind Hansol's head. Hansol was still out cold, but looked peaceful. 

"You look exhausted," Jeonghan observed as Seungcheol took a seat beside him on the floor and leaned over, resting his head on Jeonghan's chest. Jeonghan absently ran his fingers through Seungcheol's hair. 

"I made a plan, gave everyone directions, and sent them out," Seungcheol started, his sentence interrupted by a deep yawn, "but I honestly don't know what to do. I don't know if any of this is going to help."

"I think you should sleep on it," Jeonghan suggested. Seungcheol sighed. 

"How can I go to sleep when I just sent the performance unit to the practice room and the rest of the vocal unit to the recording studio?" He asked. Jeonghan patted his shoulder. 

"Send Wonwoo to me. You're not going to be any help to him. We'll do some research and you just sleep until the library opens," he suggested. The thought of sleep honestly sounded better to Seungcheol than anything else at the moment but he felt guilty even considering it, knowing his members were as tired as he was. 

"Just do it," Jeonghan ordered, snapping Seungcheol back to reality. He hadn't even realized he was dozing off. 

"Ok," he finally agreed. "Just have Wonwoo wake me up in a few hours." Jeonghan nodded as Seungcheol got up and left the room. 

Once he knew Wonwoo and Jeonghan were settled in and everyone else was gone, Seungcheol collapsed into bed. He didn't even bother getting under the covers. Within a matter of seconds he was fast asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Joshua spun slowly in Jihoon's chair, tapping his chin. Jihoon had pushed Mingyu's legs off the side of the couch and curled up on the end opposite him. Seungkwan and Seokmin were sitting cross-legged in front of the closed studio door, playing rock paper scissors and flicking each other in the forehead for losing.

"Look, we're not going to be able to wake him up," Jihoon yawned, gesturing at Mingyu. "As your team leader I'm making the executive decision that we're going to get some sleep, and take turns sitting up to keep an eye out. Seungkwan, you're first." Seokmin laughed, catching Seungkwan off guard by flicking him as he turned to look at Jihoon.

"Why-OW!" Seungkwan exclaimed, pressing his palm against his forehead. "Why me?"

"Because you're the youngest, of course," Jihoon replied matter-of-factly, curling up into his corner of the couch. Joshua spoke up as Jihoon closed his eyes.

"I still really think we should call an ambulance," he stated. Jihoon cringed, his eyes still closed. 

"Coups said not to," he said. "We should follow the plan."

"Coups is really overwhelmed right now," Joshua said, leaning forward in the chair. "He doesn't know what to do any more than the rest of us do. If we neglect Mingyu and something is really wrong, we'll be responsible." Jihoon slowly opened his eyes. 

"So you're saying you want to go against our leader," he sighed, looking Joshua directly in the eyes.

"You're also a leader," Joshua reasoned, "and I'm also an elder. If you agree with me what can he really do?" Jihoon shook his head. 

"You know it doesn't work like that," he said. "Coups is still MY leader. And he's Mingyu's team leader besides that. We have to do what he says. He knows what's best for the group."

"But what if what's best for the group is dangerous for Mingyu?" Joshua's face grew stern. At this point, Seungkwan and Seokmin both sat stone still, breathlessly watching their elders argue. 

"What if we could get medical help for Mingyu without calling an ambulance or drawing attention to ourselves?" Jihoon pondered, resting his chin on his hand. Joshua sat back, intrigued. 

"How do you suggest we do that?" He asked. Jihoon scrunched his face, considering the options. 

"Didn't that nurse from the first aid team at ISAC flirt with Jeonghan when he hurt his arm?" He recalled, a grin spreading across his face. "Maybe he has her number. We could ask her to come here and examine Mingyu." Joshua nodded, remembering the scenario.

"I think we might be getting somewhere," he chuckled, pulling his phone from his pocket. "See, this is why you're our leader."

~

"Why is mine different from yours?" Jun wondered aloud, flexing his fingers and watching the graceful flame dance just above the palm of his hand. 

"I don't know," Chan replied, waving his own hand, engulfed in gently moving flames like a torch, in front of Jun's. "Maybe because you're Chinese." Minghao snorted, thrusting his own hand into the circle as they all sat facing each other in the practice room floor.

"You already know that's not accurate," he snipped, grinning as his hand lit up the same as Chan's. 

"Quit playing around," Soonyoung huffed, entering the room. "You guys are going to set off the sprinklers." Chan turned to Soonyoung excitedly.

"Hosh, what if we turn them off and make it part of the choreo?" He suggested. Soonyoung shook his head vigorously. Chan pouted.

"Come on, Hosh," Jun pleaded. "You know no one would ever forget our performance. And no one else would ever be able to copy it, no matter how hard they tried." Soonyoung frowned, crossing his arms.

"First of all, how would we ever explain how we did it? Everybody would want to know what equipment we used and they would ask questions we can't answer. Second of all, Coups would literally murder every one of us when he found out not only did we keep this a secret, but we displayed it on national television." 

"You have to admit it would look so cool though," Minghao concluded as the boys stood up and stretched. 

"I mean, obviously," Soonyoung agreed, turning to face the mirror and raising both hands as bright yellow flames crept across his skin and swirled between his fingers. 

"There are all kinds of people who do fire dancing. As long as we don't make it too obvious, nobody would look too deeply into it," Jun said with a smirk as Soonyoung danced gracefully, surrounded by gently floating flames and watching his reflection in the mirror with a satisfied grin. After a few seconds he stopped, letting his bare hands fall to his sides, and stared at his reflection.

"Hao, Dino," he finally said, looking over his shoulder, "go find the control panel for the sprinkler system."

~

Soojung nervously ran a brush through her long black hair, tossing it from side to side and checking the effect in the mirror before deciding to just pull it up into a stylish messy ponytail. She leaned close to the mirror and inspected her makeup before heaving a shaky sigh and turning to leave the room, grabbing her leather jacket off the back of her desk chair on her way. 

"Soo, where are you going this early?" Her grandmother called from the kitchen as she heard Soojung coming down the stairs. 

"I got a text from Yoon Jeonghan," Soojung explained. "One of the Seventeen members is ill and they want me to come examine him."

"Uh-huh," her grandmother scoffed. "Examine him. At four in the morning? You think I don't know what's going on? I had plenty of Yoon Jeonghans back in my day." Soojung laughed, blushing. 

"It's not like that," she insisted. As she met her grandmother's gaze she noticed a mischievous sparkle in the old woman's stone gray eyes.

"I'm only teasing," the grandmother said, pulling her long, silver hair into a quick bun and out of her way as she puttered around the kitchen. "I know a nurse is always on call. People don't wait to get sick when it's convenient." 

Soojung found her first aid bag on the kitchen table where she had left it after work the night before and sifted through it, taking a quick inventory of her equipment and supplies. 

"I have to go, the boys are waiting for me," she said zipping the bag closed, satisfied she had all she would need. 

"Be careful in the streets, baby," her grandmother warned, slowly crossing the kitchen to give Soojung a kiss on the cheek. 

"I will," Soojung promised. 

"Call me as soon as you get there," the grandmother insisted as she saw Soojung out the door. 

"Don't worry, Granny!" Soojung laughed, turning back to wave goodbye. "I'll be fine."


	10. Chapter 10

Soojung turned the final corner on her way to the recording studio and looked around. Her heart skipped a beat when she looked across the street and saw Joshua waiting for her on the sidewalk. Suddenly Joshua looked up and noticed Soojung, giving her a big smile and waving. 

"Why do they all have to be so handsome," she wheezed to herself, stopping to take a deep breath and steady her shaking hands under the pretenses of looking both ways before crossing the street. When she finally joined Joshua in front of the recording studio after what felt like the longest ten second walk of her life, Joshua greeted her with a graceful bow. 

"Joshua, it's nice to meet you," Soojung managed to squeak as she returned his bow. 

"Thank you for coming," Joshua replied, opening the door for Soojung and reaching out his free hand. "Let me take your bag. You must be tired of carrying it." Soojung hesitantly slid the first aid bag off of her shoulder and handed it to Joshua. 

"Thank you," she said shyly, "I can see why they call you Seventeen's gentleman." Joshua grinned at her and inclined his head to gesture inside the building.

"Woozi's studio is just upstairs, at the end of the hallway to your right," he instructed. Soojung nodded and quickly remembered she wasn't there for a social visit. She crossed the threshold of the building and snapped straight into a professional demeanor. 

Jihoon's door was open when Soojung approached, and the first person she noticed in the room was Mingyu, lying lifeless on the couch. Soojung rushed into the room and straight past the other members who had been standing aside, nervous to greet the pretty nurse. 

"Joshua, my bag please," Soojung called over her shoulder, gently lowering to her knees beside the couch. Joshua brought the bag and set it on the floor beside Soojung. 

"We should go so we're not a distraction," Jihoon suggested, shooing Seungkwan and Seokmin toward the door and trying desperately to leave the room. 

"Woozi," Soojung called before he could escape.

"Ehhhh...yes?" Jihoon replied, turning back to the nurse, who was now giving him her full attention. 

"Is it true you were the last person with Mingyu before he fell asleep?" Soojung asked. Jihoon nodded. 

"Yes," he replied. "He fell asleep not long after he came here last night."

"The others can go, but I need you to stay here," Soojung instructed. Jihoon's eyes widened. He quickly turned to Joshua for help. 

"We'll go get breakfast," Joshua simply said, giving Jihoon an amused grin. 

"We'll bring you something to eat," Seungkwan added, unable to hide his amusement. 

"Soojung, can we bring you back something to eat?" Seokmin asked, paying no attention at all to Jihoon as his eyes were still glued to Soojung. 

"Anything is fine, thank you," Soojung replied, rummaging through her bag and taking out some supplies. 

"Bye Woozi," Joshua said in a playful tone as he left the room. Seungkwan gave Woozi an exaggerated wave and a sassy facial expression as he followed. 

"Bye, Soojung," Seokmin said, finally prying his eyes away from her and closing the door behind him. Once they were alone, Jihoon looked around awkwardly and finally just sunk into his rolling chair. Soojung paid him no attention as she continued pulling various supplies from her first aid bag. 

"Mingyu," she finally said in a gentle tone, placing her hand on Mingyu's arm, "I'm sorry but we're going to have to take your sweatshirt off for this." She turned to Jihoon and waved him over. 

"I'll need your help," she said. Jihoon got up and carefully stepped around Soojung's supplies. 

"Stand there, please," Soojung instructed, indicating the end of the couch behind Mingyu's head. "I'll raise him up if you'll pull up the back of his hoodie," she continued, linking her arm gently through Mingyu's and then leaning toward him and wrapping her other arm around the back of his shoulders. Jihoon silently did as he was told and the two of them carefully removed the hoodie, making sure to pull the bottom of Mingyu's t-shirt securely down to his waist before Soojung lowered his upper body back to the couch. 

"Thank you, that's all for now," Soojung said, giving Jihoon a slight bow of her head. Jihoon went back to his chair and folded Mingyu's hoodie in his lap, fidgeting with the seams as he waited for further instructions. 

"Mingyu, I'm just going to check your blood pressure," Soojung said before wrapping the blood pressure cuff securely around the sleeping boy's upper arm.

"Why are you talking to him when he's asleep?" Jihoon asked, genuinely curious. Soojung glanced at him over her shoulder, absently tapping the ear pieces of her stethoscope against her palm.

"Sometimes patients who are in a coma can still hear what's happening around them," she explained solemnly. "We nurses always verbally explain what we're about to do to a patient, even if they're not responsive." Jihoon nodded, looking at his hands. The gravity of the situation suddenly weighed on him and his eyes began to sting. 

Soojung went back to examining Mingyu, checking all of his vital signs as she explained each step of the process in a serious yet gentle tone. His blood pressure, pulse, respirations, and blood oxygen level were all in the perfect range. Soojung sat back on her heels for a moment, puzzled. 

"Um, Woozi?" She said after a moment, turning to face Jihoon. "Can you please go and bring me a bottle of water?" Jihoon stood up immediately, setting Mingyu's hoodie in the chair.

"Of course," he replied. Once he had left the room, Soojung quickly turned back to Mingyu.

"Ok, let's see what's really going on," she whispered, rubbing her hands together. Rising back up onto her knees, she gently lifted Mingyu's head and cradled it in one hand, pressing her other palm to his forehead. A soft blue light glowed from beneath both of her hands as she closed her eyes and held Mingyu's head for a moment. By the time Jihoon returned with the bottle of water, Soojung was quickly tossing her supplies back into the first aid bag. 

"Did you find out anything?" Jihoon asked, handing Soojung the water. She thanked him as she opened the bottle and took a sip. 

"I found out everything I needed to know," she replied, looking back at Mingyu. "I'm going to have to call in a specialist." Jihoon felt a wave of relief that Soojung hadn't mentioned the hospital.

"Is there anything you need me to do while we wait?" He asked, picking up Mingyu's hoodie from the chair as Soojung zipped her bag and took her phone from the back pocket of her jeans. 

"No, just wait here with me," she replied, tapping the screen a few times and then raising the phone to her ear. After a few seconds she started talking on the phone, speaking English so quickly Jihoon didn't understand her. When she hung up and returned her phone to her pocket, she turned back to Woozi.

"Will you help me put Mingyu's hoodie back on so he doesn't get cold?" She asked. Jihoon walked back over to the end of the couch and they carefully repeated the process from before, only backwards. Once Mingyu was settled back against the couch cushion, Jihoon stood still for a moment, watching as Soojung gently adjusted the neck and sleeves of Mingyu's hoodie.

"Is he going to be ok?" Jihoon finally asked in a hushed tone. Soojung looked up into his eyes and gave him a reassuring smile. 

"He's going to be fine," she replied. "I've called an expert. He's going to be in good hands."

After what felt like an hour to Jihoon but was only about fifteen minutes, Soojung checked her phone and got up from her position on the floor beside Mingyu. 

"She should be here any minute," she said to Jihoon, leaving the room. 

Sure enough, just a few minutes later Jihoon heard two sets of footsteps coming back up the stairs and Soojung's voice speaking hurriedly in English. When he heard the women approaching Jihoon stood up from the chair. Soojung reentered the room, followed by a very old woman with long silver hair, a round face with foreign features, and large gray eyes. Jihoon bowed respectfully to the old woman. 

"Granny, this is Lee Jihoon," Soojung said in English. "He's the one they call Woozi."

"Hello," Jihoon said, bowing again. "Thank you for coming," he added in his best English pronunciation. Granny beamed at him. 

"That was beautiful, baby," she she replied in Korean, "but you can speak Korean. I understand it well but Soo just gets embarrassed of my pronunciation." Jihoon grinned.

"Oh, just look at you," Granny continued, reaching out and gently cupping Jihoon's cheeks in her hands. There was a look of recognition in her eyes, which Jihoon was used to. As a celebrity, people around town recognized him more often than not. Granny let go of Jihoon and pulled a big cloth bag from her shoulder, quickly rummaging through it. 

"For you, baby," she said, pulling some candy from the bag and handing it to Jihoon. She then turned her attention to Mingyu. 

"And for this one," she said, rummaging in her bag once more, "aha!" She pulled out a small pouch and dropped the large bag casually to the floor. 

"I need a cup of boiling water," she said to no one in particular, opening the pouch and absently smelling the contents. Soojung turned to Jihoon, who was happily stuffing his face with candy. Realizing he had to go get the water, he quickly nodded, shoving the last piece of candy in his mouth, and headed to the kitchen. 

Once Granny had the mug of hot water she took some dried herbs from the little pouch, dropped them in, and set the mug on the desk with a satisfied nod.

"Just a few minutes, now," she said, turning back to Jihoon. "Now, let's retrace your steps from the time Mingyu arrived here last night until he fell asleep." 

Granny nodded attentively as Jihoon recounted the previous night's events. When he got to the part about playing the song for Mingyu just before he fell asleep Granny's eyebrows raised. 

"Would you mind playing the song for me?" She asked. Jihoon obediently sat in the chair and turned to his computer, quickly pulling up the file he had played for Mingyu the night before. Granny stood close to Jihoon, fascinated by the equipment on his desk and the ease and skill with which he used it. Soojung took a seat on the floor beside the couch. As the song began to play, Granny nodded her head to the beat.

"That melody is beautiful," she said. Jihoon beamed with pride. Suddenly there was a soft thump behind them and they both turned around to see Soojung, having apparently passed out and fallen over in the floor. Jihoon quickly stopped the music as Granny made her way to Soojung. 

"Soo?" Granny called, bending down to shake Soojung's shoulder. Soojung showed no response.

"Oh dear," Granny chuckled, straightening up and turning back to Jihoon. "Baby, we're going to need another cup of water."


	11. Chapter 11

"So you're saying the song is what put them to sleep?" Jihoon said, bracing himself against Soojung's back as he carefully held the sleeping nurse in a sitting position. Granny crouched in front of Soojung, holding her head up with one hand and bringing the mug of tea to her lips with the other. 

"Specifically the melody," Granny explained, spilling some of the tea down Soojung's chin as she tried to pour it into the sleeping girl's mouth. "Your melody evoked a very old type of magic that puts the listener into an enchanted sleep." Jihoon looked at her, wide-eyed.

"How did I do that?" He asked. "And why didn't it affect you or me?" Granny laughed softly as she set the mug on the floor next to her and used her sleeve to gently dry Soojung's chin. 

"Baby, I don't know if you're ready for the answers to those questions just yet," she replied. Jihoon frowned thoughtfully as Granny repeated the process with the tea until she was satisfied that more of the liquid had made its way into Soojung's mouth than down her chin. 

"You can lay her back down now," she told Jihoon, patting Soojung's chin dry a final time and standing up to place the mug on the desk. Jihoon gently lowered Soojung back to the floor, careful to cradle her head before letting it rest on the carpet. He stood up to join Granny as she picked up the fresh mug of tea and turned around toward Mingyu. 

"Now for our sweet puppy," she said, stepping closer to the couch. Jihoon went once again to the end of the couch and this time lifted Mingyu's upper body by the shoulders.

"What's in the tea?" Jihoon asked as Granny carefully tipped the cup against Mingyu's lips.

"Dragon's blood, to break an enchanted sleep," Granny replied. Jihoon cringed.

"You're making them drink blood?" He scoffed. Granny laughed.

"Baby, dragon's blood is an herb," she explained. Jihoon laughed with her, careful not to shake Mingyu as Granny administered the tea.

"There," Granny sighed, placing the second mug on the desk and giving a soft, satisfied clap of her hands. 

"What do we do now, Granny?" Jihoon asked. 

"Now, we wait," Granny replied. "And as much as it pains me, you need to delete that song." Jihoon nodded, obediently returning to his chair. As he leaned toward the computer screen, clicking here and there, Granny stood close to him and scratched his back in a gentle, rhythmic pattern. Jihoon closed his eyes and sighed happily at Granny's pleasant touch. Her rhythmic scratching felt comforting and familiar to him. Like trying to remember a vague, long ago dream. 

Jihoon's reverie was suddenly interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the stairs and the murmur of his members' voices. Joshua entered the room, followed by Seungkwan who was carrying a to go bag with Jihoon and Soojung's food, Seokmin close behind. When the boys saw Granny they all gave a deep bow, introducing themselves.

"Hello boys," Granny greeted them with a big smile.

"What happened?" Joshua asked, dropping to his knees beside Soojung. He picked up her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. 

"It's a long story," Jihoon said. "They'll both be awake soon though." 

As Joshua worried over Soojung, Granny went to Seungkwan, taking the carry out food from him and casually handing it to Jihoon. 

"Look at you, precious Seungkwanie!" She exclaimed, patting Seungkwan's cheeks excitedly. Seungkwan grinned at her, slightly confused but still loving the attention. 

"I have something for you," Granny told him, letting go of Seungkwan's face and turning to look for her bag. Jihoon picked it up and handed it to her. After rummaging in the bag for a few seconds, she pulled out a small, nicely wrapped package and handed it to Seungkwan. 

"For me?" He asked, his mouth wide with surprise and excitement. 

"Yes baby," Granny replied, laughing. Seungkwan quickly opened the package and gasped when he saw that it contained his favorite homemade sweets. 

"How did you know?" He asked, nearly cutting off his own sentence by stuffing his mouth full of sweets. 

"We grandmothers have a sixth sense," Granny replied, winking at him. Joshua slowly rose from the floor, gently placing Soojung's hand across her stomach. 

"We should go to the break room," he told Seungkwan and Seokmin, as they both happily munched on sweets. "We need to give Soojung and Mingyu plenty of space to get oriented when they wake up." Seungkwan waved to Granny as the boys quickly left the room.

"Here, Granny," Jihoon said, getting out of the chair and turning it towards her. "You must be getting tired." Granny sat comfortably in the chair, turning to the carry out bag Jihoon had placed on the desk. 

"What do we have here?" Granny asked, opening the bag. 

"The members brought jjajjangmyun for Soojung and me," Jihoon replied as Granny removed the containers from the bag. She handed one to Jihoon, followed by a pair of chopsticks.

"We have a saying in English, 'you snooze, you lose,'" Granny chuckled, opening the other container and returning to the bag to look for another pair of chopsticks. "And since Soojung is snoozing..." she nodded her head toward her sleeping granddaughter. Jihoon laughed, sitting cross-legged on the floor with his food. He and Granny ate happily in silence for a little while, then Jihoon suddenly gasped. 

"Granny!" He called out, gesturing at Soojung as she began to wake up. "It worked!" Granny put her chopsticks down and rubbed her hands on her lap, turning around in the chair. 

"Of course it worked," she replied. "This ain't my first rodeo." Jihoon looked at her, confused, then just shook his head and turned his attention back to Soojung. 

"What happened?" Soojung asked in a sleepy voice, sitting up and stretching. 

"Our genius producer made a song so impressive you instantly fainted," Granny joked. Soojung rubbed her eyes. 

"Mingyu?" She said, turning to look at the couch. 

"He should be with us any minute now," Granny said. Soojung tried to stand up and lost her balance. Jihoon quickly stood and reached out to help her up. Once Soojung was upright she stretched, turning to Granny. 

"Hey, did you eat my food?" She asked in an accusatory tone. Granny laughed. 

"There's still some here," she replied, rising from the chair. She gestured for Soojung to sit and eat, then went over to kneel beside Mingyu as he began to stir in his sleep. 

"There's my handsome boy," Granny said softly as Mingyu finally opened his eyes, blinking hard. Mingyu looked confused by the unfamiliar faces of Granny and Soojung, but gratefully let Granny help him as he tried to sit upright.

"How long was I asleep?" He asked. 

"About twelve hours," Jihoon replied. Mingyu rubbed his eyes. 

"I had the weirdest dream," he said.


	12. Chapter 12

As the first pink and orange rays of sunlight began to filter through the trees, Jeonghan looked over his shoulder at the sleeping dragons. He considered just staying with them but he knew they would wake up with countless questions... questions Jeonghan was not at all prepared to answer. 

As he stood and stretched, he mentally calculated the time it would take him to fly to the outpost. He considered waiting around long enough to tell the dragons how to get there but knew that would only lead to more questions. He turned to take one more look at them as they slept peacefully, using each other for pillows. It made Jeonghan feel melancholy to examine their faces, which looked so innocent and youthful in sleep but had seen such pain and hardship just the day before. 

Jeonghan stepped into the small clearing and stretched his wings, shaking the stiffness out before ascending above the cave. He circled the perimeter of the cave once to check for any danger. In a small clearing on the other side of the creek bed he noticed two familiar looking figures who appeared to be conversing, their large white wings making them unmistakable to Jeonghan. As he got closer he could clearly distinguish the tall male figure and the petite female one that belonged to each pair of wings. They looked up as they heard him flying toward the clearing and motioned for him to join them. Heaving an annoyed sigh, Jeonghan descended into the clearing.

"What are you doing here?" He asked immediately, completely uninterested in giving either of them the chance to speak first. The female angel's eyes widened in a hurt expression.

"I could ask you the same thing!" She retorted, shaking her head as the wind blew her long black hair across her face. She stood with her hands on her hips trying to look intimidating, but her small stature and cherubic face made Jeonghan unable to take her seriously. He lost his bearing and chuckled, grinning as the girl reached up and pushed her hair back with an irritated huff.

"Soo, have I ever told you you're cute when you're angry?" Jeonghan teased. Soojung rolled her eyes.

"No, I don't believe you have," she replied honestly. 

"Well don't get used to it," Jeonghan laughed, turning his attention to the other angel.

"Did she drag you out here, Rue?" He asked, crossing his arms. Rue raised an eyebrow. 

"Believe it or not, Hani, we're all concerned about you. You need to come home now." Rue replied. 

"I can't. I told you exactly what the seer told me. If nobody wants to believe me that's fine, but I'm not going home," Jeonghan said. "Too much is at stake."

"We're not supposed to get involved in their battles," Soojung protested. Jeonghan narrowed his eyes at her.

"This is different," he insisted. "There is much more at stake than just mortal lives." He unfolded his arms and placed his hands on his hips stubbornly. 

"Besides, don't act like you haven't always known I'm different from you and the others. I never belonged with the rest of you. I need to find out why and this may be my only chance," he added. Rue sighed. 

"At least let us help you," he pleaded, his voice softening. 

"Do you really want to help or do you just want to spy?" Jeonghan asked.

"Regardless of how you feel, you're our brother," Soojung chimed in. "We were raised together. We would never betray you." Jeonghan took a few steps back, looking from Rue to Soojung. 

"I feel like I've heard something like that before and if I remember correctly, it didn't turn out very well for either party involved," he said. Soojung rubbed her eyes in frustration. 

"Just tell us what we can do," Rue demanded, giving Jeonghan a stern expression. "We can't go home without you so we may as well make ourselves useful." Jeonghan thought for a moment. 

"If you really want to help, find the phoenix," he finally answered. 

"Phoenix?" Soojung mused, scrunching her face thoughtfully.

"I saw it yesterday but I don't know where to find it," Jeonghan explained. "The seer said the phoenix will lead to the other dragons." Rue nodded.

"Where will you be?" He asked Jeonghan, who had already spread his wings to leave.

"Àlfborg," Jeonghan replied. 

"Oh, now there are elves involved?" Soojung sighed. Jeonghan grinned at her. 

"Welcome to the forest, angel," he teased, giving her a wink before flying up and away. 

As Jeonghan circled back in the direction of the cave he slowly descended, looking around to see if the dragons were awake. There was no sign that they had stirred yet so Jeonghan stopped in the clearing, looking around for a strong stick. Once he'd found one he scratched a short message into the bare earth in front of the cave and then left, hoping that at least one of the boys could read.

~

Jeonghan awoke in his own bed, tucked snugly into the blankets. He rolled over, confused, and checked Seungcheol's bed. Sure enough, Cheol was sleeping soundly, tucked in and hugging his pillow. On each of their bedside tables there sat a bottle of water, their phones which were diligently hooked up to the chargers, and two ibuprofen tablets. Jeonghan quietly sat up on the edge of the bed, careful not to wake Seungcheol, and gratefully took the mysterious pain killers while gulping down the bottle of water. Returning the empty bottle to the bedside table, he picked up his phone, slightly nervous to actually look at the time. When he saw that it was 10:00 am he gave a gentle sigh of relief that he hadn't missed the whole day. 

Jeonghan quietly slipped out the bedroom door and went straight to the bathroom to check on Hansol. He found the light off and the bath tub empty. Anxiously, Jeonghan checked the bedroom across the hall and found it empty as well. He quickly made his way into the living room. 

Wonwoo sat cross legged in the middle of the couch, his laptop open on the table in front of him, a bag of chips to his right, and a book levitating at eye level to his left. Between consulting the laptop screen and the book pages he would munch on the potato chips. When he saw Jeonghan enter the living room he quickly sat up straight, placing his feet on the floor. The book fell to the couch with a soft thump beside him. 

“I didn't know you were awake," he stuttered, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose nervously. Jeonghan just stared at him for a moment, blinking and squinting hard. 

"I have so many questions," he sighed. "But first of all, where's Vernon?" 

"Right here," Hansol replied from the hallway. Jeonghan whipped around to see Hansol, freshly showered and dressed, holding a cup of ramen in one hand and a Coke in the other.

"Are you ok?" Jeonghan asked. "Are you feeling better?" Hansol nodded. 

"Yeah, I feel fine now," he replied. "Thanks for taking care of me." Jeonghan moved out of the way and let Hansol into the living room. 

"I'm still really confused," Jeonghan said, shaking his head. "What exactly happened?" Wonwoo gulped. 

"Well, you fell asleep in the bathroom floor while I was researching so I used, um, my telekinesis... to carry you to bed. Coups wasn't in bed comfortably so I tucked you both in and brought water and ibuprofen for when you woke up," he explained. Jeonghan nodded, following. 

"When I came back to the bathroom Vernon was awake but his back hurt from sleeping in the tub. So I brought him clothes and let him take a hot shower, and we've been here working while you and Coups slept." When Wonwoo finished, Jeonghan gave him an impressed look. 

"I'm really proud of you Wonwoo," he mused. Wonwoo looked away, embarrassed. "We should really rely on you more often," Jeonghan added. Suddenly the front door opened, startling the three of them. Jeonghan looked over to see the performance team members taking their shoes off and leaving them outside.

"What happened to you guys?" Hansol gasped as Soonyoung, Jun, Minghao, and Chan trudged into the dorm one by one, soaking from head to toe as if they had been caught in a sudden rain storm. 

"The sprinklers went off in the practice studio," Chan grumbled.

"What?" Jeonghan replied. "How?"

"Well, let's just say we learned our lesson about trying to practice our own pyrotechnics," Soonyoung groaned as the four of them split up to their respective bedrooms to get dry clothes. Jeonghan covered his eyes with his hands and sighed. 

"I don't even want to know," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. Hansol and Wonwoo looked at each other wide-eyed, then burst out laughing. 

"Well I'm glad at least someone can find the humor in the situation," Jeonghan groaned at them, turning back to go get clean clothes so he could shower. Hansol dug into his ramen while Wonwoo picked up the book and quickly found his page.

"Ok so while you were in the kitchen I found this," Wonwoo started, showing Hansol the book. "It basically says here that sometimes people can travel to other parallel universes in their sleep by astral projection." Hansol nodded as he chewed. 

"So you're saying it's possible that the dream wasn't really a dream? I like, astrally projected myself to a parallel universe?" He asked. Wonwoo nodded. 

"The fact that you had the same ability to manifest fire from your own body heat both in the dream and in real life when you almost burned down the dorm seems to suggest that there is a connection," Wonwoo set the book down as he spoke and took off his glasses to rub his eyes. 

"Ok it could be that, OR," Hansol stated emphatically, "I just had a wild dream because my body was trying to spontaneously combust in my sleep."

"Also possible," Wonwoo conceded, "which would put us right back to square one." He closed the book and set it on the table with a sigh. 

"I just wish there was someone we could ask about this stuff," Hansol said.

"About what?" Soonyoung asked, strolling into the room shaking his damp hair. 

"All the weird stuff that's been happening to us," Hansol replied. Soonyoung threw himself onto the couch beside Wonwoo and sighed. 

"Oh like you almost burning to death in your sleep?" He said casually, reaching across Wonwoo's lap and snatching the bag of chips. 

"You guys are awfully nonchalant about that," Hansol complained, giving Soonyoung an offended look. 

"Oh, you're fine," he teased, throwing a chip at Hansol. "You just gotta learn how to control it. Like me." He pointed at himself and gave Hansol a smug grin.

"Like what?" Wonwoo asked, grabbing the chips back. Soonyoung's grin widened.

"You'll see when you watch the awards show," he replied mysteriously. "Let's just say it's going to be lit." The three of them looked up as Chan walked into the living room.

"Hoshi, we're all taking a nap before we have to go to the arena," he said. Soonyoung groaned. 

"Yeah I guess I should too," he said, rising dramatically from the couch. He leaned over and grabbed a handful of chips from Wonwoo's bag before following Chan back down the hall. As they disappeared from the doorway, Jeonghan appeared, fresh out of the shower and wearing clean clothes.

"I'm starving," he announced, slinking into an arm chair and turning sideways to hang his legs over one of the arms. 

"Hani it's kind of hard to make food laying down" Hansol teased. Jeonghan rolled his eyes. 

"Have either of you heard from Joshua or Woozi?" He asked, changing the subject. 

"Yeah," Wonwoo replied, closing his laptop and stretching out on the couch. "Mingyu is awake now so they should be here soon."

"Good, so Soojung figured out what was wrong with him?" Jeonghan said, reaching lazily for the tv remote, which was on the table mere inches from his fingertips. Not wanting to leave his comfortable position to reach for it, he simply wiggled his fingers and pouted at Hansol. Hansol rolled his eyes and handed Jeonghan the remote.

"Apparently Soojung’s grandmother came and revived him," Wonwoo replied. "They're all at her house now. Woozi said it's a long story but he has a lot to tell us when they get back." Jeonghan gave a sarcastic huff as he flipped through the tv channels, not really paying attention to what was on.

"Of course it's a long story. These past two days have been nothing but a long story, and it's not even lunch time yet," he said. He gave up trying to focus on the tv and just turned it off, setting the remote back on the table and rubbing his stomach.

"Speaking of lunch time, let's order some food," he sighed, taking out his phone.

Meanwhile at Granny's house, Soojung and the five Seventeen members all sat crowded around the table stuffing themselves with Granny's cooking.

"I'm going to be honest, I think having Jeonghan text you was one of the best ideas Woozi has ever had." Seungkwan said. He punctuated his sentence by taking a big bite of chicken. Soojung laughed. 

"You know, aside from the circumstances of Mingyu's enchanted sleep, this has been a really nice morning," she observed. The boys laughed with her.

"I'm sad I missed all the action," Mingyu joked, "but I'm glad I woke up in time to eat."

Granny came back into the room carrying two brown paper grocery bags and set them on a small table next to the front door. 

"What's that, Granny?" Soojung asked.

"Plates for the other members," Granny replied. "You boys don't forget these when you leave."

"Thank you, Granny," Jihoon said as Granny walked over to the table to check on them. 

"Also," Granny said, tapping her chin. "Let me go get the book I was talking about earlier." She went back to the kitchen and quickly returned, carrying an old book, and set it next to the bags of food.

"It's in English, so Joshua you'll need to translate," she said. Joshua nodded, his mouth too full to answer.

"We should actually go soon," Jihoon said, reaching for another piece of chicken. "The others are going to want to know what's going on." 

"What time will the performance unit have to leave for the awards show?" Mingyu asked. Jihoon shrugged.

"Soojung, you should come over to watch the show with us tonight," Seokmin suggested. Soojung blushed slightly. 

"I don't know, surely you're all tired of me by now," she said. Seungkwan laughed, nearly choking on a mouthful of food. 

"Are you kidding me? I want to live here with you and Granny," he told her. Soojung smiled at him. 

"Well then I guess I'll accept your invitation," she said looking back at Seokmin. 

"One of us should text Wonwoo and let him know we're bringing food," Jihoon said, looking around at each member while obviously making no attempt to reach for his phone. 

"I'll call him," Mingyu said, wiping his hands on a napkin. "He's probably worried to death about me anyway."

The others continued eating and talking quietly amongst themselves while Mingyu made the phone call. Granny leaned against the doorway and sighed, watching them. She was glad to have been able to give them comfort and happiness for the moment. She knew that with what was coming for them, they may not have a day like this again for a while.


	13. Chapter 13

Seungcheol woke up to a sore back from sleeping on the hard cave floor. As he oriented himself and sat up, Hansol and Mingyu started to follow. The three of them groaned as they stretched their sore muscles, each pain serving as a reminder of all the running they'd done the day before. 

"Cheol, I'm hungry," Hansol said, standing and stretching his legs. 

"I know," Seungcheol said in an apologetic voice. "We don't really have a way to hunt or anything though." Hansol frowned and walked out into the clearing.

"I may have something that can help," Mingyu offered, reaching for his bag. As he rummaged through the contents of the bag, Seungcheol's eyes widened with hope, then narrowed when Mingyu pulled out a book. 

"A cookbook isn't going to help us much if we don't have any food," Seungcheol said, leaning back against the cave wall as Mingyu began flipping through the pages. Mingyu laughed. 

"This isn't a cookbook," he explained. "This is Granny's grimoire."

"What's a grimoire?" Seungcheol asked, raising his eyebrows with interest. 

"It's a book full of important information Granny collected and wrote down over the years," Mingyu said. "It has spells, potion recipes, information about magical creatures and enchantments, maps to important places, and if I remember correctly..." He trailed off, flipping the pages more slowly. Finally he stopped on a page and scanned the contents. He smiled, tapping the page and turning the book to show it to Seungcheol. 

"A page all about which plants in the forest are edible," he said. Seungcheol nodded. 

"It's really a miracle you managed to save that book," he said, standing up and reaching out to help Mingyu to his feet. They went out to the clearing and explained to Hansol about the book, then began to search the area around the cave for edible plants and roots. After they had collected a decent amount they went to the creek to wash their findings, drink some water, and clean themselves up a little. When they got back to the cave they were too hungry to complain about the strange meal and ate happily, using their own abilities to wield fire to roast the root vegetables before stuffing their faces with them. 

Once the boys were pretty satisfied they packed the leftovers into Mingyu's bag and got ready to leave the cave. As Seungcheol and Mingyu discussed the possible directions in which to travel, Hansol wandered out of the cave again and stopped, looking at the ground with a puzzled expression.

"What's Àlfborg?" He called back to the cave, interrupting the conversation between the other two.

"What?" Seungcheol asked. Hansol pointed to the ground. 

"It says Àlfborg," he explained. "I'm assuming Jeonghan wrote it before he left." The two older boys came out of the cave to look for themselves.

"That sounds familiar," Mingyu said, biting his lip in thought. 

"Check the grimoire," Seungcheol suggested. "If you've heard of it surely it was from your granny." Mingyu retrieved the book from his bag and searched the pages once more. Sure enough, there were two pages devoted to the mysterious Àlfborg. 

"She says Àlfborg is an elf fortress," Mingyu said, summarizing the book's contents. "The only people who live there are elven soldiers who monitor the forest and maintain peace between the magical races." Seungcheol and Hansol stepped closer to Mingyu, giving him their full attention. 

"Both the elf king and the faerie queen support Àlfborg, regularly sending food, supplies, and fresh soldiers to the fortress. Apparently it was built to form an alliance between the two kingdoms, with the elf king providing Àlfborg as a measure of physical protection for the faerie Queen's forest, and in exchange the queen sent magical fey warriors to the elf kingdom to help protect them from curses and enchantments," Mingyu turned the page as he spoke. "There's even a map here," he added, showing the page to the two brothers.

"There must be a reason Jeonghan would tell us to go there," Seungcheol mused, examining the map. 

"It looks like we should head East to the river," Mingyu commented, running his finger along the map. "Then we can follow the river straight to the fortress."

"Sounds easy enough," Seungcheol said, nodding. Mingyu put the book away and the three of them headed off in the direction of the sunrise. 

"At least when we get to the river we can catch some fish," Hansol groaned, rubbing his stomach. 

"Do you think they'll feed us when we get to Àlfborg?" Mingyu pondered, grinning. "Because if they're eating faerie food there..."

"I'm already dreaming about it," Seungcheol laughed, picturing the lavish faerie feasts described in the books he'd grown up reading. 

The three dragons walked with lifted spirits. The knowledge that they now had a safe destination and the map to get them there had instilled a great amount of confidence in each of them. They even began to joke and play around with each other as they settled into a travelling pace.

~

Seungcheol woke up with a pounding headache, his throat so dry he started to cough as soon as he took a deep breath. Each cough sent a sharp pain through his head and he quickly sat up, pressing his fingertips against his temples. He realized by the amount of light coming through the bedroom window that the sun was just beginning to set, and became anxious at the thought that he'd slept all day and no one had woken him up. He swung his legs off the side of the bed and checked the bedside table for his phone. It was there, plugged into the charger. There was also a bottle of water and two ibuprofen, which he gratefully threw back like his life depended on it. Setting the empty bottle back on the table, he got up to go search for his housemates.

As he opened the bedroom door and stepped into the hallway he heard a lot of laughter coming from the living room, which eased his anxiety. Deciding to worry about himself first, he headed to the kitchen to get some more water. Expecting everyone to be in the living room, he walked into the kitchen rubbing his eyes and not paying attention, and walked straight into someone. 

"Oh, Seungcheol, I'm sorry," the girl said as Seungcheol looked up and noticed her. 

"Soojung, I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention," he said quickly. Soojung was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Seungcheol with his fluffy bed hair and attractive morning voice. 

"How are you feeling?" Soojung asked, noticing a pained look on Seungcheol's face as he straightened up from a quick bow.

"Honestly, my head is pounding and I'm really thirsty," he replied, stepping over to the fridge to get a bottle of water. Soojung observed him carefully, taking note of his pale, dry lips and the dark circles around his eyes. 

"You're dehydrated," she said confidently, stepping in front of Seungcheol as he stood gazing into the fridge. "Here, try this." She reached into the fridge and found a small bottle of coconut water. Seungcheol took the bottle from her, grinning. 

"Whatever you say," he replied. "You're the nurse." Soojung caught herself gazing into his eyes and turned around, feeling heat quickly rise into her cheeks. 

"What's everyone doing in the living room?" Seungcheol asked, switching to a casual topic of conversation as he opened his drink. Soojung returned to the task she had been working on before Seungcheol came into the kitchen, and began arranging some fruits and cheese onto a plate. 

"Watching the awards show," she answered, trying to keep her face averted from him as she could tell she was still blushing. Seungcheol stood close to her and smoothly reached for a strawberry from the plate she was arranging, not helping matters. 

"Let me take it for you," he offered, sliding his free hand under the plate as Soojung picked it up from the counter. Their hands briefly brushed each other and Soojung's breath caught in her throat. 

"I'll be right back," she suddenly said, letting Seungcheol have the plate and quickly ducking out of the kitchen to shut herself in the bathroom. Seungcheol laughed to himself and carried the snacks and his drink into the living room. 

"Why did you guys let me sleep all day?" He demanded, placing the plate on the table next to some boxes of pizza and chicken wings that were already piled up. The members took a moment to answer as they were all busy stuffing their faces and laughing at each other. 

"You needed the rest," Jeonghan finally replied, turning his attention to the hallway. "Where's Soojung?" Seungcheol grinned, taking a seat on the floor in front of Mingyu and Wonwoo, who were sharing the love seat. 

"I think I scared her," Seungcheol chuckled, reaching for the nearest pizza.

"How?" Jeonghan asked, picking a pepperoni from his own slice of pizza and leaning over from his chair to shove the pepperoni into Seungcheol's mouth. Seungcheol grinned as he chewed.

"Flirting," he replied mischievously. Jeonghan rolled his eyes. 

"Between you and Joshua you're going to give the poor woman a heart attack," he said. 

Seungcheol laughed again, busying himself with chomping on his pizza. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until there was food in front of him.

"Hey, so, Mingyu and I are ok by the way," Hansol said sarcastically from across the table where he and Seungkwan sat hoarding their own box of chicken wings.

"I can see that," Seungcheol replied casually, reaching for another slice of pizza. Hansol huffed. 

"I'm just teasing, I'm relieved you're both ok and everyone seems to be feeling good now," Seungcheol said, looking around the room. Soojung came back and returned to the empty spot on the couch between Joshua and Seokmin. Seungcheol tried not to make eye contact with her, feeling guilty about making her so flustered in the kitchen.

"You should have seen Wonwoo when I got home," Mingyu teased. "He was so relieved it was like a scene in a drama." Wonwoo rolled his eyes. 

"Sure, if in the drama my character acts completely normal and barely changes their expression whatsoever," he retorted. Mingyu squeezed Wonwoo's shoulders and laughed. 

"Come on, admit that you were dying with worry and you were so relieved to see me," he said. 

"You act like this was the first time you've ever slept for twelve straight hours," Wonwoo replied, deadpan, before reaching across Seungcheol for a piece of pizza. 

"Guys be quiet, I think they're about to go on," Jihoon said, settling into his beanbag in the corner. The group fell silent and watched as their performance unit was announced on the tv. Seungkwan retrieved the remote and quickly raised the volume. The camera panned over to the performance unit as their song started. The boys were lying on the stage in their usual position, wearing all black, and began the choreography as usual. But this time when they raised their arms, flames erupted from each of their hands. Soojung gasped, nearly swallowing a chicken bone. 

"Are you ok?" Joshua asked, gently patting her back as she coughed. Soojung nodded, her eyes glued to the tv.

"It just caught me off guard," she replied, catching her breath. "That was so beautiful."

They all stared at the tv in shock as the performance unit sang and flawlessly performed their familiar choreography, but with the addition of flames that gently floated around them as they danced, creating a cool effect against the backdrop of their black outfits and the dark arena. The crowd at the arena was going wild, but other than the sound of the tv, Seventeen's dorm was completely silent. When the performance was over and the show cut to a commercial break, the living room went from silence to absolute chaos. 

"How did they do that?" Seungkwan yelled, dropping the box of chicken wings on the floor.

"I can't believe what I just saw!" Seungcheol said in a shocked and concerned tone.

"So THAT was what Hoshi was talking about," Jeonghan gasped.

Everyone was chattering at once, each trying to talk louder than the other to be heard. Except for Hansol and Wonwoo, who simply stared at each other wide-eyed in silence, remembering their research from that morning. 

"Ok, ok that's enough," Joshua said loudly, raising his hands to quiet the group. At the unusual sound of him raising his voice, everyone else quickly hushed.

"Did they just do what I think they just did or did they somehow hire a pyrotechnic team that we don't know about?" Joshua asked to no one in particular.

"I think they did...what you think they just did," Seungcheol replied, rubbing his face in frustration.

"Could this day get any wilder?" Jeonghan sighed, laying back in his chair and covering his eyes. 

For the rest of the awards show all the group could talk about was the performance team's audacity to wield fire in public, and not only that, but on national television. As the conversation began to die down and the food was cleaned up, Jeonghan took the leftovers to the kitchen for the performance unit to eat when they got home. The others began to play video games and check their phones. Seungcheol left the room to shower and change as Soojung, Joshua, and Seokmin found a show they all liked on Netflix and started up an episode.

When Seungcheol reentered the room, the episode was just ending. He took the seat Jeonghan had left empty and sat back in the chair, quietly observing the others as they went about such normal activities. It seemed weird to watch them act so casual and normal with everything that had happened in the past couple of days, and Seungcheol reflected on how strong and adaptable his members were to be able to cope with everything so easily.

"I should probably get going," Soojung said, rising from the couch feeling slightly overwhelmed from the excitement of the evening. Seungcheol stood with her. 

"How are you getting home?" He asked. 

"I'm just going to walk," Soojung replied. "It's not far." She made her way toward the front door, exchanging goodbyes with the other members as she passed them. 

"I'll walk with you," Seungcheol offered, following her. "It's already dark, I'd hate to see you walking home alone." Soojung nervously accepted and the two of them put their shoes on and walked out into the night air. 

"It's warming up now," Seungcheol pointed out, enjoying the nice breeze as they started off down the sidewalk.

"Yeah," Soojung agreed. "It's a nice night to be out." Seungcheol thought for a moment, glancing back toward the dorm. 

"You know, it's really not that late," he said, checking his phone. "If you're not too tired do you want to go grab a beer or something?" He watched her face grow thoughtful, and suddenly became nervous. 

"I mean if you don't want to that's ok," he said. "I was just thinking, after all the craziness of the past couple of days it would be nice to get out of the house for a while. And it's been a long time since I've really gotten to hang out with anyone besides the members." Soojung frowned. 

"You don't think it's risky for you to be seen out alone with a woman?" She asked. "I wouldn't want to start a scandal." Seungcheol grinned.

"I know a place to go where I won't be recognized," he replied. "As long you can speak better English than me." Finally Soojung laughed. 

"I speak fluent English," she replied. 

"So do you want to go?" Seungcheol asked, giving her puppy eyes and biting his lip. Soojung hesitated a moment, then nodded. 

"Sure," she replied. "As long as you promise we won't be recognized." Seungcheol clapped his hands together.

"All right," he said, turning and leading her in the opposite direction. "Let's go party with some Americans." Soojung laughed again as the two of them excitedly quickened their pace.


	14. Chapter 14

Joshua chuckled at Seungcheol's text letting him know he was taking Soojung to a bar and would be home late. 

"Hey, Coups says he's taking Soojung to The Anchor and not to wait up for him," he told Jeonghan and Jihoon as the three of them lounged around the living room waiting for the performance unit to get home. Mingyu and Wonwoo had gone to hang out in Mingyu and Minghao's room while Seungkwan, Hansol, and Seokmin had already gone to bed. 

"Why am I not surprised," Jeonghan chuckled, stretching out on the love seat. Jihoon got up from his bean bag and stretched. 

"He deserves a night out," he said, turning to leave the room. 

"Are you going to bed?" Jeonghan asked.

"Nah, to the studio," Jihoon replied, stopping in the doorway and turning back to face them. Joshua studied Jihoon's tired face.

"Woozi, take a night off," he said. "Come play video games with me and rest." Jihoon shook his head.

"I have to completely redo the song from last night," he explained. "I had to delete everything besides Hansol's beat." Joshua patted the empty space on the couch beside him.

"You can work on it tomorrow," he said. "We have the day off and you really need to rest. Come play with me for a while then get some sleep and go to the studio tomorrow refreshed." Jihoon thought for a minute before nodding and walking back into the living room.

"I am really exhausted," he admitted, sinking into the couch beside Joshua, who handed him a PlayStation controller. The two of them bantered with each other playfully as Jeonghan relaxed and watched their game.

At the arena, Soonyoung and the performance unit were buzzing with excitement as they tried to leave. It seemed like everyone who was backstage wanted to stop and compliment them on their stunning performance. When they finally made it to the exit, Jun pushed the door open and they all tumbled outside, practically tripping over each other in their excitement. 

"I can't believe we pulled that off!" Chan gushed, following the older boys as they all walked quickly toward where they knew their manager would be waiting for them with the car.

"Ahhhh is it me or did you guys just feel so...powerful," Soonyoung said, staring at his own hands as he walked. 

"I felt like I could fly," Jun laughed. The boys quickly piled into the car, still chattering away as they buckled their seatbelts. It took a good few minutes for them to realize their manager wasn't even in the driver's seat. 

"I wonder where he went," Minghao said, looking out the car windows. He could see some paparazzi heading in their direction and turned back to the boys. "He needs to get here soon, though or we'll be swarmed." Soonyoung quickly pulled out his phone and called the manager's number in his speed dial contacts. The familiar ringtone began playing in the front seat.

"Great," Minghao sighed, reaching into the driver's seat and picking up the phone. He set it down in the center console and looked back out the window at the approaching paparazzi.

"Are the keys in the ignition?" Soonyoung asked aloud, leaning around the driver's seat to look. Sure enough, they were. 

"Hao, get us out of here," Soonyoung ordered, noticing the paparazzi getting closer and closer. Minghao carefully climbed over the console and into the driver's seat. 

"What about our manager?" Chan asked nervously as Minghao buckled his seatbelt and started the car. 

"We'll come back and get him as soon as he gets ahold of us," Soonyoung promised. Minghao looked around to make sure no one was in front of them and pulled the car out, heading for the main street. The boys were absorbed in wondering where the manager would have gone, and Minghao was the only one who noticed the black SUV with dark tinted windows that pulled out and began following them. He shifted his eyes from the rearview mirror to the road ahead and quickly took the next exit. 

"This isn't the way home!" Jun complained. Minghao sped up as he merged onto the highway, checking the rearview to find the SUV still behind them. 

"I know, just stay calm," he said, pressing the accelerator and beginning to weave through the traffic, trying to put as many other vehicles between them and the strange SUV as he could. 

"What are you doing?" Soonyoung demanded, gripping the door handle as Minghao zig-zagged down the busy highway.

"Someone is following us," Minghao replied, checking the rearview again. The SUV was steadily weaving along, not letting Minghao get too far ahead. 

"Who would be following us?" Chan cried out, turning to look out the back window. 

"Stay calm, Channie," Jun said comfortingly. As Minghao drove away from the part of town near the arena, the traffic thinned out and he sped up, hoping to outrun the SUV that was still behind them. Suddenly there was a loud popping noise and the passenger's side mirror exploded.

"Are they shooting at us?" Chan screamed. Jun quickly pushed Chan's head into his lap and bent over him as a shield. Soonyoung threw himself into the floorboard. 

"Guys, hold on," Minghao warned. He floored the gas pedal, swerving left and right to make it more difficult for the shooter to aim at them. A couple more shots fired and missed, until one finally hit the back window, sending glass raining down over Jun and Chan as the bullet lodged in the head rest of the passenger seat. 

"HAO TAKE THE NEXT EXIT!" Soonyoung screamed. 

"The next exit isn't for ten more miles!" Minghao yelled back. "Do something!"

"What do you expect me to do?" Soonyoung cried. Minghao swerved again as he heard another gunshot. 

"Throw fire at them!" He ordered. Soonyoung looked up from the floorboard wide-eyed.

"I don't know if I can do that," he said. 

"You have to try!" Minghao said, checking the rearview mirror and continuing to swerve. "It's our only option right now." Soonyoung took a few deep breaths and gathered all the mental strength he could muster. He sat up on his knees in the floorboard and raised his hands in front of him, quickly conjuring the flames and trying to figure out how to actually throw them. He began to lose his nerve and the flames died out.

"I can't do it!" He sobbed. 

"Hoshi do something!” Jun yelled, covering Chan's face with his jacket. Soonyoung raised his hands again, cupping them in the shape of a circle this time and watching in awe as a ball of flames appeared and began to grow.

"Stay down," he said to Jun and Chan as he raised up over the top of the seat. He held his breath, aimed, and hurled the ball of flames out the back window at the SUV following them. The vehicle swerved wildly, trying to avoid the fireball, but it hit the front of the vehicle with such force the SUV went flying and rolled across the highway. Minghao didn't slow down as Soonyoung watched the SUV, now upside-down on the side of the highway, grow smaller and smaller. Jun carefully sat up, brushing pieces of glass off of Chan before helping him up as well. Soonyoung sat stone still, on his knees in the seat, staring out the broken back window as Minghao pulled off on the next exit. 

~

"Heyyy, S Coups!" The bar tender called out as Seungcheol and Soojung entered The Anchor.

"I thought you said you wouldn't be recognized," Soojung said, giving Seungcheol a dirty look. Seungcheol grinned sheepishly. 

"Well, they know me here," he admitted. "But they just know me from coming in here, they're not going to expose me." Soojung nodded, still suspicious, and looked around the bar. Almost everyone there was a foreigner, and the majority of the men had military haircuts.

"This is where a lot of Americans from Osan Air Force base hang out when they come to town," Seungcheol explained, leading Soojung to the bar and pulling out a stool for her, letting her get comfortable before taking a seat beside her. 

"The owner of this place is an American expat who was in the Air Force herself and was stationed at Osan for several years. She liked it here so much that when her service was finished she just moved here," he continued. Soojung looked around again. 

"That's actually really cool," she said, looking at the decor and taking in the foreign atmosphere. 

"Hey, look who's here!" A woman's voice rang out over the music. Seungcheol and Soojung looked back over the bar. "Coups, it's been a while," the woman said, making her way towards them. Soojung thought the woman was the most beautiful foreigner she had seen in town. She appeared to be about ten years older than Soojung but with smooth, glowing skin, and was almost as tall as Seungcheol. Soft, pale blonde hair fell around her face in waves, framing her milky white skin and large, round blue eyes like something you would see in a European Renaissance painting. Soojung looked down at her hands as the woman greeted Seungcheol, feeling inferior to the gorgeous older woman. 

"Soo," Seungcheol said, taking Soojung's hand and bringing her out of her thoughts, "this is Ashley. She's the owner." Soojung smiled meekly at the woman. 

"I'm so intrigued," Ashley said, leaning on the bar and gazing at Soojung with a friendly smile. "I've only ever seen Coups in here with Hani or Hoshi, then I don't see him for a couple months and suddenly he just strolls in here with a beautiful woman." Soojung blushed. 

"You're too kind," she replied as Ashley reached for some glasses to pour the two of them drinks. 

"Don’t be modest sugar,” Ashley chuckled, setting the glasses on the bar. “This is an American bar, we sure won’t be." Soojung laughed, feeling more at ease with Ashley's friendly nature. She and Seungcheol ordered their drinks and Ashley served them up with some more playful banter before leaving the two of them alone to attend to other customers. 

As Soojung reached for her beer with her right hand she suddenly realized Seungcheol was still holding her left and pulled it away, casually brushing her hair behind her ear. Seungcheol mercifully acted like he didn't notice. 

"So," Soojung said, awkwardly looking anywhere but into Seungcheol's eyes. "Why here? Why this bar?" Seungcheol sipped his beer thoughtfully. 

"Most of the people who come here don't really know about Kpop," he said, glancing around the room. "It's nice to have one place where I'm not looked at as an idol and I can just be myself." Soojung nodded, suddenly feeling protective of him.

"Yeah, it must be really hard for you guys," she mused, "not being able to just do whatever you want and having to worry about protecting your image all the time." Seungcheol shrugged.

"I mean it's the price we pay to make a living doing what we love," he said. "As long as people still support us and allow us to do that I won't complain." Soojung finally looked at him, smiling. 

"You're all really humble," she observed. Seungcheol laughed. 

"You say that like it surprises you," he replied. Soojung shrugged. 

"I guess, I don't know, growing up I had this certain image of idols just like anybody else would. It's nice to see that you're really just like us normal people," she said. 

"After everything you've seen today, the word you really want to use to describe us is normal?" Cheol asked, raising his eyebrows. "I'd hate to see how crazy the people you're usually around are." The two of them laughed together and Soojung started to feel more comfortable hanging out with Seungcheol. They sat and talked for a while, and occasionally Ashley would check on them and pour them another round of beers. 

"It's so cool that you made this place," Soojung gushed, feeling tipsy and loving as Ashley leaned on the bar talking to them. 

"Thank you," Ashley said with genuine gratitude, looking around. "I mean, I obviously loved Korea enough that I learned the language and eventually moved here permanently, but a lot of my Air Force friends felt really homesick while we were stationed here. So when I came back I decided to create a place where they could get away from the stress of the base but still feel more like they were home." Soojung felt overcome with admiration.

As the two women talked, Seungcheol's phone buzzed and he saw a text from Jun. 

Call me, it's urgent.

Seungcheol excused himself and stepped outside, away from the noise and music of the bar. 

"What's up?" He asked as soon as Jun answered the phone.

"Where are you?" Jun asked.

"The Anchor," Seungcheol replied. "Jun, what's going on?" 

"I'll tell you when we get there," Jun replied, hanging up the phone. Seungcheol stood on the sidewalk for a moment, confused. The sound of a car door opening and then closing nearby broke his concentration, and he looked over to see a man wearing all black clothes and gloves walking across the street directly towards him. He quickly turned around to walk back into the bar, but was blocked by another man dressed identically, who had appeared out of nowhere.

"Come with us quietly and we'll have no reason to hurt you," the first man said from behind Seungcheol, placing his hand firmly on Seungcheol's shoulder. Seungcheol quickly decided not to try to fight the men, thinking of Soojung waiting innocently for him inside the bar. Out of concern for her safety, he slowly turned around and followed the strange man back to the car, knowing that once Jun arrived, he and the other members would take care of Soojung.


	15. Chapter 15

Joshua noticed Jihoon's character standing still for a long time and looked over to find him sound asleep, still clutching the controller. He paused the game and gently took Jihoon's controller, setting both of them on the table. He went down the hall to get Jihoon's blanket, careful not to wake Jeonghan, who had gone to bed while Joshua and Jihoon were playing. Once he was back in the living room, Joshua carefully raised Jihoon's legs onto the couch, turning him around. Jihoon stretched out in his sleep and settled into the couch. Joshua covered him up with the blanket and left the room, turning off the light as he went. He crept quietly into his room, picked up Granny's book from the dresser, and took it to bed with him. Settling down on his stomach, he laid the book in front of him. Hoping the light wouldn't wake Hansol and Seokmin, Joshua turned on his phone's flashlight and examined the cover of the book. It looked very old and had no author's name on it, just the word Grimoire scrawled across the cover in what looked like a kind of calligraphy. As Joshua opened the book and flipped the pages he noticed they were hand written with drawings, diagrams, and maps here and there. He turned back to the first page and began to read. 

~

Jihoon gripped the saddle the best he could with his hands tied together in front of him as he sat balanced between his kidnapper's arms on the huge horse. Seungkwan had finally stopped crying and sat in silence in a similar position on the other captor's horse. 

"Are we almost there?" Jihoon asked in an annoyed tone. The rope around his wrists was itching and his legs were going numb from sitting on the horse for so long. 

"Don't worry little guy," his kidnapper teased. "We'll be there soon." Jihoon huffed. 

"I'm not a child, you know," he said stubbornly. 

"And yet you're still sitting here arguing like one," the kidnapper retorted with a chuckle. Jihoon sat in angry silence as they continued along through the forest. 

After a little while Seungkwan gasped and reached up to point with his tied hands.

"Jihoon, look," he said.

"I see it," Jihoon replied, trying to hide his interest. Ahead of them, at the top of a cleared hill, was a large stone wall with what appeared to be a small castle rising above it. 

"What is that place?" Seungkwan asked. 

"Àlfborg," his captor replied. 

"The elf fortress?" Jihoon asked, unable to hide his surprise. 

"The very one," Seungkwan's captor said.

"Why are you taking us there?" Jihoon wondered, staring at the fortress as they began the climb up the gentle slope of the hill.

"We just follow orders," his captor said. "You'll find out what you need to know when we get there."

They rode in silence up the hill until they reached the gate. Seungkwan and Jihoon stared in awe at the elven guards. One was male and the other female, but they were both very tall, with pale skin that looked like porcelain, very light blonde hair, and large, round blue eyes. The guards raised the gate to let them in, and Jihoon was taken aback by the sight as they entered the fortress. There had to have been hundreds of elves, all so tall, pale, and intimidating. There were also faeries here and there, flying from place to place, but the most shocking thing about the fortress to Jihoon was the sheer number of elves. He had never even seen a single one before.

The captors stopped just inside the gate as the outer guards closed it. The two captors dismounted and then helped Jihoon and Seungkwan down. Jihoon stretched his legs and stamped his feet to get the circulation flowing. 

"If you'll stand still for a second I'll take off that rope," the captor said, reaching for Jihoon. Jihoon stopped and raised his hands, gratefully letting the captor cut the rope. Jihoon rubbed his wrists, letting the rope fall to the ground. 

"You're free to roam within the fortress walls," Jihoon's captor said as his partner took their horses away by the reigns. 

"Where do we go?" Jihoon asked as Seungkwan moved to stand close to his older brother. 

"I suggest finding someone who cares to help you," the captor shrugged. "I was just told to bring you here, with no further instructions." Having said that, he unceremoniously walked away, leaving Jihoon and Seungkwan standing alone in the strange place. 

"What do we do?" Seungkwan asked, looking around. 

"I guess we should try to find someone who knows why we're here," Jihoon said. He started walking toward the main part of the castle, Seungkwan following close behind. As they got close to the entrance, a female brownie even smaller than Jihoon came out, walking straight towards them. She had a round baby face with brown eyes and black hair, a stark contrast to all of the elves walking around.

"I'm sorry I didn't meet you at the gate," she grumbled, giving a half wave to Jihoon and Seungkwan as they stopped to meet her. "I didn't realize you would be here so soon. I'm Tawny." She looked up into their confused faces, then turned back toward the building. Jihoon and Seungkwan were still standing in shock and confusion. Tawny stopped at the doorway and looked back at them.

"Well, let's go," said impatiently, placing her hands on her hips and tapping her foot. 

"Her personality does NOT match her looks," Jihoon murmured to Seungkwan as they slowly followed Tawny. 

"She's like a tiny, female you," Seungkwan giggled. Jihoon rolled his eyes. 

Tawny led the way to a narrow staircase and they all started to climb. The top of the stairs opened into a large, round room. As the boys followed Tawny into the room, Jihoon noticed that it was pretty bare, other than a large stone table in the middle of the room with what appeared to be a map spread across it. Several elves stood around the table, looking and pointing at the map. As they approached the table, Jihoon felt shocked all over again to find that three of the elves around the table looked nothing like the others. They each had tan skin, black hair, and dark brown, almond shaped eyes. He tried not to stare at them and instead focused on Tawny as she led the way right up to the table. 

"They're here, ma'am," Tawny said with a small bow. Jihoon and Seungkwan didn't know what to do so they awkwardly copied Tawny's bow. In the center of the group of male elves stood a single woman. She was tall, pale, and blonde like all the others, but unlike every other elf they had seen so far, she had a friendly smile when she saw Jihoon and Seungkwan. 

"Thank you, Tawny," the woman said, coming around the table toward them. "I'm General Ash," she explained, extending her hand to shake Jihoon's, then Seungkwan's. 

"It's nice to meet you," Jihoon said. "Although we're still very confused as to why we're here." General Ash laughed softly. 

"I'm sorry if you were treated poorly," she said, noticing the red marks around their wrists as she let go of each of their hands. "The men we sent to pick you up weren't my first choice. But there were important matters to attend to and we needed to get to you soon." She looked back toward the door. 

"Where is your brother?" She asked. Jihoon just gaped at her, even more confused than before. 

"He wasn't there when the men came and kidnapped us," he finally said. "They didn't wait for him to come back." Ash frowned. 

"I'll send someone to find him," she sighed. "Someone who is actually competent. In the meantime, I'm sure you're hungry. Tawny, could you please show the boys to the dining hall?" Tawny nodded, turning back toward the door. As Ash started to return to the table, Jihoon called out to her.

"Wait, we still don't even know why we're here," he said. Ash gave him her friendly smile. 

"Don't worry," she replied. "Just know that you're safe here. Get some food and we'll tell you everything once you've rested." With that, she made her way back to the table. Jihoon turned quickly at the sound of Tawny clearing her throat in the doorway. She stood there with her arms crossed and an impatient look on her face. Jihoon shook his head and followed her back down the stairs, with Seungkwan two steps behind him. 

The dining hall was full of loud voices and the smell of delicious food. Seungkwan actually forgot his worries for the moment when Tawny showed them to the buffet.

"They just serve food all the time since there are always people coming and going," she explained, gesturing to the long buffet table crowded with appetizing dishes. She showed Jihoon and Seungkwan where to get plates and forks.

"All of the food is enchanted so that it never spoils and never gets cold," she continued as Jihoon and Seungkwan filled their plates. Jihoon gave her a suspicious look. "I promise, it's perfectly safe to eat," she told him. As Jihoon and Seungkwan continued piling their plates with food an armored male elf walked towards them.

"Shouldn't you be back in the kitchen, little girl?" He teased Tawny, patting the top of her head. Tawny swiftly punched him right above the knee, causing him to stumble. He grabbed the table for support, laughing. 

"You have to watch out for this one," he told Jihoon and Seungkwan in a playful tone. "She's little but she's got a big fight in her." Tawny crossed her arms and gave the elf a smug grin. 

"If you're done harassing me I have things to do," she said. 

"All right, all right," the elf chuckled, picking up a plate. "I'll leave you alone." Tawny picked up two goblets from the end of the buffet and led Jihoon and Seungkwan to one of the long tables. As the boys settled down with their plates, Tawny pointed out several pitchers sitting on the table nearby. 

"They're each filled with wine, water, cider, beer, or milk," she explained. "And they're enchanted to-" Jihoon cut her off.

"To never spoil and to refill themselves?" He finished her sentence. Tawny rolled her eyes.

"Oh, how did you ever guess?" She said sarcastically. Jihoon grinned. 

"Just noticing a pattern," he replied, reaching for the milk pitcher. 

"Well I have to leave you here and get back to my work," Tawny said, stepping away from the table. "If you need me just say my name three times and I'll appear."

"Really?" Seungkwan asked, wide-eyed. 

"No," Tawny replied with a deadpan expression before turning and walking away. Jihoon couldn't stop laughing. 

"I like her," he said, digging into his plate. Seungkwan scoffed. 

"Never would have guessed," he mumbled through a mouthful of food. After he'd swallowed he added, "I think we just met your future wife."

The boys laughed and ate happily, easily forgetting their worries in the cheerful dining hall. After a few minutes they heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see the three strange elves from upstairs approaching them with their own plates. They sat down across the table from Jihoon and Seungkwan and the one in the middle gave a friendly smile.

"Hi, I'm Joshua," he said, reaching across the table to shake their hands. "These are my brothers, Wonwoo and Seokmin." He gestured to each one as he named them. They shook the boys' hands as well, then Joshua reached out for a pitcher. Wonwoo handed him one, and Joshua began filling his goblet. When he realized he was pouring beer he set the pitcher down. 

"No," he groaned, switching his goblet with Wonwoo's empty one. "I want water." Seokmin laughed as Wonwoo took the beer pitcher and handed Joshua the one full of water.

"I'm sure you guys have a lot of questions," Seokmin said, turning his attention to Jihoon and Seungkwan. "We can try to answer as many as we can." Seungkwan smiled at him, grateful that someone had finally at least offered to answer their questions, even if they may not actually have all the answers. 

The five of them sat and talked for quite a while as people came and went from the dining hall. As the sky began to darken outside the open windows, Seungkwan yawned. 

"We can show you to your room in the guest house," Joshua said, standing up from the table. The other four followed his lead. 

"What do we do with our dishes?" Jihoon asked. Joshua grinned. 

"Watch this," he said. He placed his goblet in the middle of his empty plate, tapped it with his fork three times, and then laid the fork on the plate. Suddenly, they all disappeared. 

"Of course the dishes are enchanted to clean themselves up," Jihoon laughed as they all followed Joshua's example and the table was cleared. As they exited the dining hall into the pleasant night air, Seungkwan suddenly stopped walking and looked out into the forest over the fortress wall. 

"What's wrong?" Jihoon asked as the others stopped to wait for them.

"I wonder where Mingyu is," Seungkwan replied.

"That's your brother?" Joshua asked. Seungkwan nodded sadly.

"Don't worry, our best tracker is leaving first thing in the morning to go find him," Joshua said reassuringly.

"Who?" Seungkwan asked before realizing that he didn't know anyone there but the three of them, Tawny, and General Ash.

"Me," Wonwoo said gently, gesturing for the boys to follow along to the guest house.


	16. Chapter 16

Wonwoo entered the dining hall just before sunrise, expecting a solitary breakfast before he left on his mission. However, as he filled his plate at the buffet he heard a familiar cranky voice behind him and looked around to see Tawny sitting at one of the tables, arguing with Jihoon as they sat side by side with a large plate of fruits and cinnamon rolls between them. 

“Great, now there's two of them,” Wonwoo thought to himself with an amused grin as he picked up a goblet and went to join them.

“Ask Wonwoo,” Jihoon said defiantly as he noticed the elf joining them at the table. Tawny rolled her eyes from behind the giant cinnamon roll she was busy biting into.

“Hey, don't drag me into...whatever this is,” Wonwoo laughed, reaching for a milk pitcher. “I just got here.”

“Like I'm going to trust an elf anyway,” Tawny said. Wonwoo have her a mock hurt expression. 

“No offense,” Tawny added, shrugging. Jihoon laughed and went back to eating. After a few minutes of silent chewing Wonwoo turned to Jihoon.

“Do you have anything that belongs to Mingyu that I can borrow to track him?” He asked. Jihoon shook his head. 

“The only thing Seungkwan and I brought from our house was the clothes we were wearing,” he replied apologetically. 

“That's ok,” Wonwoo assured him. “Can you just give me a good description of him then, so I’ll know him when I see him?” Jihoon leaned onto the table. 

“Well he's a dragon,” he began, picturing Mingyu starting the fire back at the cottage with his bare hands. His memory went on its own track and he smiled thinking of Mingyu cooking, teasing him and Seungkwan, and singing along with Jihoon’s lute playing. 

“I know this is hard,” Wonwoo said gently after Jihoon had been silent for a while. “I promise I'm going to find him.” Jihoon nodded, snapping back into the present moment. 

“He's very tall,” he continued. “Even taller than you. And he's got a dark, tan complexion with dark hair and eyes. He’s big and he looks intimidating but when you meet him you'll see he's like a puppy. But he’s very strong and brave.” Wonwoo grew thoughtful.

“Look at him, he's swooning,” Tawny teased. 

“I never swoon,” Wonwoo replied, giving her a wink as he sipped some milk.

After they had all eaten, Tawny went to the kitchen, and came back balancing a large basket of food on one hip. Jihoon reached out to take it from her and she pulled it away from him. 

“I got it,” she snipped at him. Wonwoo and Jihoon exchanged a grin as Tawny brought the basket to Wonwoo. 

“A romantic picnic for two,” Tawny said, trying to hide her breathlessness as Wonwoo took the basket off her hands. He laughed, thanked her, and left the two of them in the dining hall to go get his horse. 

The sun was just beginning to rise as Wonwoo rode out the fortress gate, with Tawny’s food basket and his own leather bag of supplies strapped to the back of his saddle. A second horse followed behind, attached by a rope expertly strung between the two saddles. Wonwoo picked up a steady pace as he reached the bottom of the hill and entered the forest. He knew the extra horse would be a slight distraction but also that he would never hear the end of it from Tawny if he came back on the same horse with Mingyu. 

He made his way deeper into the forest toward the river, trying to stay vigilant of his surroundings but feeling his mind wander often. There were a lot of mysteries and unanswered questions around Àlfborg lately that weighed on his thoughtful and introverted nature. 

As Wonwoo rode along, lost in thought, he the horses suddenly tried to stop, whinnying anxiously. He tried to calm them and suddenly realized the cause of their anxiety as heavy footsteps crashed through the brush toward them. He didn't even have time to wonder how the bear had gotten so close without him noticing. Suddenly, there it was, rising on its hind legs in front of him.

Wonwoo’s horse rose on its own hind legs defensively, throwing Wonwoo with such force he thought he heard his ankle snap as he tumbled to the ground. As both horses turned and ran, Wonwoo tried to stand and immediately fell back to his knees as a sharp pain shot up his right leg from the obviously broken ankle. At Wonwoo’s cry of pain, the bear turned its attention from the fleeing horses to the injured elf in front of it. Frantically, Wonwoo tried to flee the bear himself, on hands and knees, each movement sending excruciating pain through his injured leg. After crawling just a short distance away, Wonwoo fell flat on his chest, unable to go any further. He heard another set of footsteps quickly crashing through the brush and, picturing a second bear, he closed his eyes tightly, bracing himself for the attack. 

Suddenly the bear gave a pained roar and Wonwoo heard its footsteps retreating. Confused, he carefully and quickly turned over on his back and rose up to a sitting position. Sure enough, the bear was retreating as a man Wonwoo didn't recognize chased it away with a flaming torch. It took Wonwoo a moment to realize that the torch was actually just the man’s hands, and after staring at him in complete shock, he realized he actually did recognize him, but not from ever having seen him before. 

As the bear finally turned and ran away, the tall, tan, dark-haired dragon turned and approached Wonwoo, taking a knee beside the injured elf. 

“My name is Mingyu,” he said, extending his right hand. Wonwoo shook it, still too shocked to speak.


	17. Chapter 17

Jeonghan sped up as he saw the fortress ahead, the wind blowing his hair across his face as he quickly approached. As he started to descend toward the open area behind the wall, he suddenly blacked out, opening his eyes to find himself sitting on the ground a short distance away from the gate. He heard laughter and looked over at the guards, whose attention he had caught. 

“Tried to fly in?” The female guard asked, grinning as she approached Jeonghan and extended a hand to help him up. Jeonghan nodded, still slightly dazed from the strange experience.

“There's an enchantment over the fortress to keep enemies and spies from just flying over the wall,” the guard explained, helping Jeonghan to his feet. “I mean, did you really think it would be that easy?” Jeonghan blushed. 

“Well, I'm an angel after all,” he replied. “Rules of magic and physics don't usually apply to me. This is new.” The guards laughed with him. 

“So what brings an Archangel to Àlfborg?” The female guard asked, returning to her post beside the gate. Jeonghan followed her. 

“A prophecy,” he explained vaguely. 

“I didn't think your boss usually gave prophecies involving elves and faeries,” the male guard mused. Jeonghan chuckled. 

“He does, He usually just refers to you as demons and such,” he replied. The guards looked at each other and burst out laughing.   
“Well in that case welcome to the demon lair,” the female guard joked as they opened the gate for the charming angel. “Don't stay too long or you might become one of us.”

Jeonghan entered the gate, quickly looking around for someone who appeared to be in charge. The various groups of elves stared at him and whispered amongst themselves as he passed by. Jeonghan grinned to himself, noticing that the female elves tended to stare longer.

As he approached the doorway of the central building, he suddenly came face to face with an elf who was exiting the building. Jeonghan stopped, taken aback by the curious elf who was about his height although the rest of the elves seemed much taller, and who had a tan complexion and dark, almond eyes like his own. The elf had stopped as well, and his face showed the same surprise and curiosity as Jeonghan’s.

“Hello, I'm Jeonghan.” He introduced himself, extending his hand. The elf shook it but seemed too stunned to speak.

“I'm sorry to catch you by surprise like this,” Jeonghan said. “I'm here to-” The elf seemed to find his voice and cut him off.

“You're an angel,” he said, wide-eyed. Jeonghan laughed softly.

“Yes...yes I am,” he affirmed with a slight shake of his wings. The elf shook his head, suddenly embarrassed.

“I'm sorry, I just...I've never…” He fumbled for words. “I'm Joshua,” he finally spit out to introduce himself. Jeonghan tried not to laugh since Joshua was clearly already embarrassed. 

“Oh my gods,” gasped a female voice from behind Joshua. He and Jeonghan both looked over to the doorway to see a female elf flanked by two soldiers, standing in shock with her hand covering her mouth.

“It's true then,” she continued, dropping her hand. “Are you here for the prophecy?” Jeonghan nodded solemnly.

“I'm General Ash,” the woman said, quickly joining Jeonghan and Joshua. Before Jeonghan could introduce himself Ash turned and called over her shoulder to the two soldiers.

“Go get the others,” she ordered. “Bring them to the council room.” They both nodded to her and quickly complied, each heading in a different direction. 

“Please, follow me Jeonghan,” she said, heading back to the door. Jeonghan looked at Joshua, puzzled. Joshua shrugged and the two of them followed Ash into the building and up a narrow staircase.

After what felt like a long wait full of awkward silence between Ash, Jeonghan, and Joshua, the elven soldiers entered the room followed by another dark complected elf, a brownie, and a pixie, who all looked as confused as Jeonghan felt. The soldiers waited by the door as the other three approached the large stone table. Once all five of them were present, Ash rolled up the large map that covered the table and dragged it into the floor, revealing an intricately carved tabletop with a large sigil in the middle and smaller symbols radiating from it. The edge of the table appeared to be lined with words. Upon further inspection, Jeonghan realized that they were names. 

“Jeonghan,” Ash called, pointing to a space beside her at the table. Jeonghan walked over, having already realized the space she was pointing to would contain his name. 

Next was Joshua, then Jihoon, Seokmin, and finally Seungkwan, all next to each other. They made up roughly a third of the table, leaving eight empty spaces. 

“What is this?” Jihoon asked, reaching out and tracing the symbols above his name with his fingertip. 

“Unfortunately, I'm not fully qualified to answer that question,” Ash replied. “But the person who can should be here soon.” She placed her hands on two of the spaces and looked thoughtful. Jeonghan looked over and noticed she was looking at “Wonwoo” and “Mingyu.”

The six of them stood in silence for a while, staring at the table. Jeonghan wondered about the other names and who they might belong to. Suddenly there were loud footsteps as someone came running up the stone stairs. Jeonghan quickly looked over as a small, dark haired brownie girl stumbled into the room, out of breath from running up the long staircase on her short legs. 

“Tawny, what's wrong?” Ash asked as she and Jihoon both left the table and approached the girl. Tawny took a few gasping breaths before replying. 

“It's Wonwoo,” she finally managed to cough out. 

“Is he back already?” Ash asked. Tawny began to lose her balance and Jihoon quickly grabbed her by the arm to steady her. She gratefully leaned on him for support before replying to Ash.

“No,” she said, “but his horse is.” Joshua and Seokmin started to walk quickly toward the door.

“We’ll go find him,” Seokmin said decisively as Jihoon pulled Tawny out of the elves’ way. 

“No, wait,” Jeonghan called out to them in a calming voice. “I’ll go, I can find him more quickly.” He punctuated his sentence with a subtle motion of his wings. 

“Good idea,” Joshua said, turning to Jeonghan. “He looks-”

“Like us?” Jeonghan interjected, glancing at the two elves and two fey boys. Joshua followed his gaze, his eyes widening in recognition. 

“I’ll be back soon,” he promised, leaving the room before anyone else could speak. He took the stairs as quickly as he could and spread his wings as soon as he had cleared the doorway. Suddenly remembering the experience of arriving at the fortress, he stopped short of taking off.

“Can I fly out of here?” He called out to the nearest elf. The elf nodded.

“You can fly out, you just can't fly in,” the elf called back. Jeonghan gave a quick nod of thanks and ascended, flying quickly over the gate and into the forest. 

As he flew toward the river, Jeonghan scanned the forest beneath him for signs of Wonwoo. After a while he noticed three dark-haired figures walking along the river in the direction of Àlfborg. He was relieved to see that the dragons had understood his message. They seemed to be maintaining a steady pace despite the fact that Mingyu appeared to be carrying some kind of large parcel across his shoulders. As Jeonghan descended toward them he quickly realized the parcel was actually Wonwoo. 

“Oh, thank gods you're here,” Seungcheol greeted Jeonghan as he quickly landed and joined them. 

“What happened?” Jeonghan asked, rushing to Mingyu’s side as Hansol helped him lower Wonwoo to the ground.

“A bear attacked suddenly and he was thrown off his horse,” Mingyu explained. “Luckily I was there to save his life.” Wonwoo winced, leaning over toward his swollen right ankle. 

“I have a feeling he's never going to let me forget it,” he said. Mingyu’s smug grin softened as he noticed the amount of pain that showed on Wonwoo’s face. 

“Jeonghan, can you-” Mingyu started, but before he could finish Jeonghan was already kneeling beside Wonwoo, removing his gloves and dropping them to the ground beside him. Mingyu knelt to observe as Jeonghan carefully picked up Wonwoo’s broken ankle with both hands. Wonwoo groaned and fumbled at his side for something to hold onto. Mingyu quickly offered his hand, and Wonwoo held it tightly, closing his eyes. 

“Wow,” Hansol gasped, watching as soft blue light began glowing from underneath Jeonghan’s hands. After a few minutes Wonwoo’s grasp loosened around Mingyu’s hand and he opened his eyes with a sigh of surprise and relief. 

“Thank you,” Wonwoo said softly, stretching his right leg and carefully testing the range of motion in his ankle. 

“I'll go straight back and let Ash and the others know you're ok,” Jeonghan said, picking up his gloves and putting them back on. He and Mingyu helped Wonwoo to his feet.

“You've already been to Àlfborg?” Seungcheol asked. Jeonghan nodded.

“Try to get there quickly,” he said, stepping away from the other four. “We're waiting for all of you.” They quickly and wordlessly continued their path as Jeonghan flew away.


	18. Chapter 18

Soonyoung and Jun carefully looked around out the car windows as Minghao pulled into a parking lot of an old, abandoned warehouse by the river. Once they were satisfied that no one else had followed them, Minghao parked in a space on the side of the building hidden from the road. The boys got out of the car, quietly stretching.

“At least we wore all black,” Chan whispered. “We can hide more easily.” Jun gave him a reassuring nod of agreement and wrapped one arm around the younger boy's shoulders as the four of them silently crossed the parking lot. When they reached the building on the opposite side, they stopped, crowding into a doorway between two shop windows as they each carefully observed their surroundings. 

“Should we split up?” Soonyoung asked his members. He felt lost. Nothing in his training had prepared him for the events that had just unfolded. 

“No!” Chan whispered, looking frantically at each of his teammates and clinging to to Jun with one hand and Soonyoung with the other. Jun rubbed Chan’s back, trying to soothe him.

“He's got a good idea,” Jun reasoned. “If we split up that makes it harder to catch all of us. If two get taken, the other two can hopefully still make it to the Anchor.” Tears clouded Chan’s eyes, but he nodded in agreement.

“Dino, come with me,” Soonyoung said, taking Chan’s hand. He felt that the least he could do as the leader would be to take responsibility of protecting the youngest member.

“Meet at the bar?” Minghao confirmed as Chan gave the China line one last, tearful look. Soonyoung nodded, then quickly led Chan across the street and into the shadows on the other side. As they disappeared from view, Minghao turned to Jun, speaking to him quickly in Chinese since they were alone.

“Hey, whatever happens-” he started. Jun cut him off.

“It's not going to happen,” he said. They simultaneously reached for each other's hands, holding tightly for a few seconds before letting go and slipping away into the shadows.

~

Ashley wrapped her arms protectively around Soojung as they stood on the sidewalk in front of The Anchor.

“Why would he just leave without telling me?” Soojung pondered, wiping her eyes.

“He wouldn't,” Ashley replied, scanning the surrounding area. Across the street a sudden, small gleam of light caught her attention. She focused her eyes and noticed the gleam was from the streetlight reflecting on a small object on the ground.

“Wait right here,” she said softly, letting go of Soojung and breaking into a light jog as she crossed the street. As she got closer closer she realized it was an iPhone on the ground. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she knelt to pick it up. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she turned on the phone, illuminating a lock screen photo of Seungcheol and Jeonghan at the beach making silly faces. The contrast between the happy photo and the gravity of the current situation brought tears to Ashley's eyes too as she rejoined Soojung on the opposite sidewalk. She didn't have to say a word, Soojung could read everything on her face.

A sudden noise caught Ashley’s attention and she spun around, quickly blocking Soojung as two male figures dressed in all black came running toward them out of the shadows. As they got closer, Ashley relaxed, clutching her chest.

“Kwon Soonyoung I swear to God,” she scolded, swatting at his hip. “Don't scare me like that!” Soonyoung glanced over his shoulder, quickly reaching out and ushering the others toward the door. 

“Get inside,” he ordered in a hushed tone. Soojung immediately complied, holding the door for the others once she was inside. As Soonyoung entered and the door closed behind him, he flipped the lock and peered through the glass expectantly.

“Coups, you're never going to believe what happened,” he said, still peering out the window. When he received no answer, he turned his head, looking over the group of people inside the bar with him. There was only Ashley, Soojung, Chan, and the bartender. 

“Where is he?” Soonyoung demanded. Ashley shook her head, holding up Seungcheol’s dropped phone. 

“He went outside to make a phone call and never came back,” she explained. “I just found his phone across the street.” Soonyoung gave a defeated sigh and leaned his back against the cold glass door, sliding gently to a sitting position on the floor and burying his head in his hands. 

“Rue, call the police,” Chan said to the bartender. Soonyoung quickly piped up as Rue tried to pull out his phone. 

“No, please,” he cried out, suddenly shaking. Everyone froze where they were and stared at him. Soonyoung’s eyes met Chan's and he raised his eyebrows. 

“Please don't call the police,” he repeated. Realizing the implication, Chan nodded. 

“Hoshi, what's wrong?” Soojung demanded, approaching him. “Why can't we call the police?” Soonyoung averted his eyes from her gaze. 

“We just can't right now, ok?” He replied, turning away from her. Soojung reached for his shoulder, stopping him from walking away.

“Seungcheol has been abducted and there's no telling what he's going through so you better have a damn good reason why you think we shouldn't call the police right now!” Soojung yelled, pulling Soonyoung's shoulder to turn him facing her.

“Because I may have killed someone tonight, okay?” He screamed. “Is that a good enough reason?” Soojung jerked her hand away from his shoulder and covered her gasping mouth. Soonyoung began sobbing as Soojung slowly backed away from him.

“Hosh, what are you talking about,” Ashley asked in a gentle tone, carefully approaching him. 

A sudden knock on the door startled all of them. Soojung screamed before looking over and seeing Jun and Minghao standing outside the door, waving frantically to be let in. Ashley walked between Soonyoung and Soojung to open the door. As soon as Jun and Minghao were inside she locked it once more and lowered the blinds.

“Where’s Coups?” Jun asked, looking around. His expression grew worried as he took in the scene between Soonyoung who was sobbing and Soojung, who was staring at him in horror.

Putting two and two together, Jun forgot about Seungcheol for the moment and went to Soonyoung’s side, pulling him into a hug. Soonyoung cried into Jun’s shoulder and clung to the back of his shirt as if his life depended on it. 

“Did he really kill somebody,” Soojung asked quietly, still unable to take her eyes off of Soonyoung. 

“He didn't have a choice,” Jun replied, rubbing Soonyoung's back. “They were going to kill us.”

“Ok kids listen up,” Ashley said, waving them towards her. As they gathered around her she reached for Chan, who has also started to cry, and held him close. 

“I have a safe place you can all stay tonight. I think with everything going on the last thing you want to do is go back home. There's no telling who else is out there looking for y'all,” Ashley glanced at Rue as she spoke. “We’ll split into two groups and leave at different times. Hoshi, Soojung, and Chan will come with me. Jun and Hao, y'all will go with Rue.” Jun and Minghao nodded. Soonyoung and Dino continued to cry. Soojung just sat down at one of the barstools and buried her head in her arms.

“What about Coups?” Jun asked. “Where is he?” Ashley sighed. 

“He's been taken,” she replied. “Once I get the rest of y'all to a safe place I have people who can go look for him.” 

“All right, what are we waiting for?” Rue said, coming out from behind the bar to join them. Jun pulled Soonyoung away from him. 

“Everything is going to be ok,” he promised, wiping Soonyoung's eyes with his sleeve. “You didn't do anything wrong. We're going to get through this, ok?” Soonyoung nodded, sniffling. 

Jun turned to join Rue and Minghao who were already waiting for him across the room by the back entrance to the bar. They each waved encouragingly to the others before Rue opened the door and the three of them stepped out into the uncertain darkness.


	19. Chapter 19

“Do y'all know how to fight, if it comes down to it?” Rue asked as he, Jun, and Minghao scanned their surroundings before crossing the street. Once they had regrouped the younger boys stared at Rue, uncomprehending. Rue rubbed his eyes. “It couldn't have been the two that speak English,” he sighed. He looked back up at them, making exaggerated punching motions in the air. 

“Fight,” he repeated clearly. “Can you fight?” The Chinese boys’ eyes widened as understanding dawned on them. They looked at each other and then back at Rue, nodding enthusiastically.

“Yes, yes,” Jun replied in English. “We can fight.” 

Rue sighed with relief and gave them a thumbs-up. The two younger boys returned the gesture and Rue turned and led the way again. 

As the three of them quietly made their way down the alley, they each kept their attention on high alert, quickly reacting to every sound or sign of movement. They had made it a few blocks away from the bar when suddenly a loud crashing noise startled them. They instinctively turned with their backs to each other, fists raised for an attack, when they heard the sound again, quickly followed by a cat jumping down from a metal trash can lid and running past them. Rue laughed softly as the three of them relaxed and turned to watch the cat run down the alley. They were distracted just long enough that they didn't notice the men sneak up behind them until Jun turned around just in time to catch a fist right to the face.

~

“Do you hear that?” Ashley asked, stopping in the middle of the alley and raising her finger to her lips. Soonyoung, Chan, and Soojung stopped and held their breath, listening. They became aware of the sounds of fighting and Ashley jumped into action, motioning for them to follow her as she ran down the rest of the alley toward the noise. 

A block away, on the route Ashley knew Rue would have taken, Ashley and her group turned down another alley to find Rue, Jun, and Minghao in an unmatched fight with five men dressed in all black, with black gloves, hats, and face masks. Ashley and Soonyoung ran forward, jumping straight into the fight. Soonyoung quickly separated the two attackers Jun was struggling with by jumping straight in and kicking one of them in the face. Ashley ran to Rue’s side as he struggled with one attacker punching him and one hanging from his back. With both hands, Ashley grabbed the small fighter on Rue’s back by the neck and slammed him to the ground, where she dropped on top of him, pinning his arms down by pressing her knees into his elbows, then rained punches down on his face. Now free to fight one attacker each, Jun and Rue quickly took their opponents to the ground. At the other end of the alley, Dino stood peering from behind a dumpster, keeping Soojung safely behind him. 

Soojung couldn't take her eyes away from the fight. She had never seen people fight like this in person, just taken care of the injuries afterward in the hospital, so she worried each time one of the attackers got a hit against one of her friends. As she watched nervously, she heard Minghao curse and looked over to see him trip and fall to the ground. The others were too busy fighting to notice, and Soojung panicked, watching Minghao, who was facing her direction, scrambling backward away from his standing opponent.

Thinking quickly and throwing caution to the wind, Soojung looked around her on the ground and in the dumpster. Just inside the dumpster was a large, empty wine bottle. 

“Too easy,” she thought to herself, grabbing the bottle by the neck and racing out from behind the dumpster. Chan followed behind her as Soonyoung ran straight for Minghao’s attacker, raising the bottle over her head with both hands. With a deep breath she stopped behind the attacker and brought the bottle down with all the strength she could muster. The bottle hit the man’s head with a blunt popping sound, then shattered as the attacker fell to the ground. Minghao jumped to his feet as Soojung stood over the attacker, pointing the jagged edge of the broken bottle at his unconscious face. 

“Drop it,” Minghao ordered, reaching out and grabbing Soojung’s free hand. As Soojung let the broken bottle fall to the ground, Chan caught up and they both quickly stepped over the attacker and followed the others. Minghao pulled on Soojung’s hand, urging her into a run as the seven of them fled the alley, leaving behind five unconscious bodies. 

No longer bothering to be stealthy, Ashley and Rue led the group of their juniors in a sprint across several more city blocks. Just when Soojung thought her lungs would burst and her legs would give out from under her, the ones ahead of her suddenly stopped, and her momentum nearly threw her to the ground as she tried not to crash straight into Minghao. He quickly grabbed her around the waist as she tripped, pulling her close to help her regain balance. Soojung closed her eyes to try to stop the spinning in her head and let her weight rest against Minghao. Once she felt steady she opened her eyes and was immediately caught off guard by how close her face was to his. 

“Thank you,” she said, taking a shaky breath and gently pulling away from him. Ashley did a quick headcount, checking each person for injuries before turning back towards Rue. She gave him a quick nod, and the two of them led the way more slowly down the alley.

“This is a dead end,” Jun remarked, punctuating his sentence by spitting blood on the ground and wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

“You'd think that,” Ashley said in a serious tone. 

Just before the dead end stood a large dumpster. Ashley walked around the side of it into the corner of the two brick walls. The others looked at each other, confused, as Ashley knocked a rhythmic pattern on what sounded like the side of the metal dumpster. After a few seconds came the sound of metal scraping on metal, followed by a woman's voice.

“What took you so long?” The voice demanded in a highly irritated tone. 

“We ran into a little trouble, Ashley said, gesturing around the dumpster at the group behind her. There was a scuffling sound and then a very small, dark haired woman who appeared to be about Jun’s age peered around the corner at them. 

“You guys look AWFUL,” she gasped, covering her mouth to hide the giggle that escaped her lips. They all stared at her, unamused. 

“I'm sorry,” she said, her grin betraying her lack of sincerity. “That was wildly inappropriate.” She stepped aside, waving them in through the secret door behind the dumpster. 

“I'm Tawny, by the way,” she called out from behind them as they carefully made their way down a narrow, metal staircase. Tawny waited for them all to get to the bottom before sliding the lock into place with a loud clack.


	20. Chapter 20

“Let's just try to call,” Wonwoo suggested, watching Mingyu’s worried face as he glanced from his phone to Minghao’s empty bed for the tenth time in an hour. Mingyu shrugged, turning back to the movie playing on Wonwoo’s laptop.

“I mean they could have gone to the after party,” he said, leaning back against the wall. Wonwoo shifted to give Mingyu more room to get comfortable as they sat shoulder to shoulder at the head of Mingyu’s bed. 

“Maybe they're all just too drunk to text back,” Mingyu added. Wonwoo leaned forward and reached for his phone on the windowsill, unlocking it as he settled back down beside Mingyu. He speed dialed Soonyoung as Mingyu paused the movie.

“His phone must have died,” he mused, quickly hanging up. “It went straight to voicemail. I'll try Jun.” Wonwoo dialed again and hung up just as quickly. 

“Surely they had a car charger,” Mingyu grumbled as Wonwoo scrolled through his contacts again and dialed Minghao, then Chan. Each time he got the same result.

“Something’s wrong,” Mingyu said anxiously, rising from the bed and quickly crossing the room to his dresser.

“What are you doing?” Wonwoo asked, getting out of the bed and closing his laptop.

“We have to go find them,” Mingyu replied. He began frantically digging through his dresser drawers without really paying attention to what was in them. 

“Gyu, stop,” Wonwoo said softly, placing his hand on Mingyu’s arm. 

“I can't just go out in my pajamas,” Mingyu replied, continuing to just throw clothes on the floor. Wonwoo put both hands on Mingyu’s shoulders and turned him around. 

“You don't even know where to go,” Wonwoo pointed out. “Here.” He gently pushed Mingyu over to sit on the edge of the bed, then turned to the dresser himself, picking up jeans, a plain black t-shirt, and a hoodie and setting them beside Mingyu. 

“Just put these on and I'll be right back,” he said, going to his own room to change. He crept into the room and changed quickly in the dark, careful not to wake Seungkwan. As he left he couldn't help giving a worried glance at Jun and Chan’s empty bunk beds.

“How are we going to find them if none of them can use their phones?” Mingyu groaned as Wonwoo reentered the room. 

“Calm down,” Wonwoo said in a reassuring voice. “I'm sure I can track them down.” He sat cross-legged on the bed next to Mingyu.   
“Get out your phone,” Wonwoo instructed.

“Didn't we just-” Mingyu started. Wonwoo hushed him with a warning look. 

“What groups are we friends with who were at the awards show?” He asked. Mingyu looked thoughtful. 

“Monsta X, BTS…” Mingyu listed.

“That's a good start,” Wonwoo cut him off. “I'll text Jooheon and you text Jungkook. Ask if they went to the after party and if they've seen the performance unit.” Mingyu quickly unlocked his phone and sent a text. 

“Wonwoo, can we like, go get coffee or something while we wait?” Mingyu asked, tapping his phone against his knee. “I'm just too anxious to sit here.” Wonwoo nodded and the two of them quietly left their dorm to walk down the street to the convenience store. 

As they walked in, they saw some familiar faces and felt a little relieved. On the other side of the store were Hyungwon and Wonho of Monsta X, still in their suits from the awards show but looking disheveled and visibly drunk. Hyungwon was trying on sunglasses and whining at Wonho to look at him and give his opinion, while Wonho sat at the counter stuffing his face with ramen.

Wonwoo and Mingyu quickly bought iced coffees and then went to join the Monsta X members. 

“Meanie!” Hyungwon called when he saw them, waving drunkenly. Mingyu laughed and the two younger boys gave a quick wave to their seniors. 

“We missed you guys at the party,” Hyungwon said. “How are you?” He flopped into the seat beside Wonho, dropping the convenience store sunglasses onto the table.

“We're ok,” Wonwoo replied. “Did you guys see our performance unit?” Wonho nearly choked on his ramen as he and Hyungwon started whooping and laughing.

“Oh my god, they were so cool!” Wonho coughed. He and Hyungwon raised their hands with spirit fingers while muttering the chorus to Lilili Yabbay.

“I wish we could learn out how to do that,” Hyungwon sighed. “It was so lit.”

“It was literally lit,” Wonho laughed. Mingyu and Wonwoo laughed with them. 

“Did they go to the party with you?” Mingyu asked. “We can't get a hold of them.” Hyungwon tapped his lower lip thoughtfully as Wonho went back to his ramen.

“I don't think they were there,” he replied. “We talked to them backstage after the show but I'm pretty sure they just left.” Mingyu gave Wonwoo an uneasy look. Just then Mingyu's phone buzzed in his pocket and he quickly pulled it out.

“It's Jungkook,” he said, unlocking the screen. 

“Jungkookie!” Wonho slurred, dropping his chopsticks into the empty ramen cup. “What's he doing? Tell him to come meet up.” Hyungwon leaned his head on Wonho’s shoulder with a laugh that turned into a yawn. Mingyu read the text and turned to Wonwoo.

“He went home but he said he'll text his members and ask them,” Mingyu said. Wonwoo nodded. 

“We should go,” Wonwoo said to Hyungwon and Wonho. He and Mingyu gave them another quick wave but Hyungwon’s eyes were already closed as he rested on Wonho's shoulder.

“Good luck,” he said sleepily, his eyes still closed. 

“You guys, please he safe and drink some water,” Mingyu said as he and Wonho turned to leave. 

“We need to use GPS,” Wonwoo concluded, taking out his phone as he and Mingyu exited to the sidewalk. 

“But their phones are off,” Mingyu pointed out. 

“Do you trust me?” Wonwoo asked, still staring at his phone as he tapped away. 

“Only with my life,” Mingyu replied. Wonwoo continued tapping on his phone, deep in concentration. Finally Wonwoo grinned, looking up at Mingyu.

“The car is right there,” he said, showing Mingyu a map on his phone screen. Mingyu focused on the blinking blue dot that represented their car.

“Why would they be down by the river?” Mingyu asked, puzzled. 

“I don't know,” Wonwoo admitted, “but that's our starting point. He sipped his coffee as Mingyu took out his own phone to call a taxi.


	21. Chapter 21

“Tawny, can you show everybody around?” Ashley asked as the small girl finally joined the group at the bottom of the stairs. “Rue and I need to go to the meeting room.” Tawny nodded, pushing her way to the front of the group as the elder two members left them, exiting through a nearby door.

“Right this way ladies and gentlemen,” she huffed sarcastically. Soojung and the performance unit followed her down a long, dimly-lit hallway in what appeared to be the basement of an old industrial building. At the end of the hall was a single door. Tawny stopped short of opening the door, playing with her choker and looking bored and irritated as she let the tired group catch up to her. Once everyone was close by, she pressed her back to the door and heaved a loud sigh. 

“Welcome to the Borg,” she said, unenthusiastically, leaning back against the door and pushing it open. The door opened into one big room, with concrete floors and columns here and there to support the floors above them. Tawny held the door and let the members and Soojung come out, joining her on a small metal platform. As the last person cleared the doorway Tawny let the door swing shut and gestured with her hand at the activity below them.

“This is where all the magic happens,” she said, leading the others down a short set of stairs to the ground floor.

“What is this place?” Jun asked, looking around. The basement looked like something he had only ever seen in movies. There were people moving around all over the place, working on trucks, cleaning weapons, building things with robots, welding. There was even a small room off to one side with windows on all sides that looked like some kind of science lab. Everyone was wearing matching uniforms. It was almost too much for the members to take in after the night they'd just had. 

“Um...it's the Borg,” Tawny repeated, holding her hand out beside her for emphasis. 

“This looks like some kind of underground military installation,” Soojung said, passing Jun and walking beside Tawny. 

“It basically is,” Tawny replied, in a noticeably nicer tone of voice than she’d used with the boys. “Part military installation, part secret hideout, part Stark industries basement, I don't know.” Soojung nodded, taking in everything they passed by. 

“I’ll take you to the first aid station first, but our medics aren't here right now so we’ll have to make do without them,” Tawny added as they came to another hallway, this one lined with doors. 

“That's ok, I'm a nurse,” Soojung replied. 

“Perfect,” Tawny said, opening a door to their left. “You can go in first and take a look around at our supplies. The others can go in one at a time. It's a pretty small room.” 

Soojung entered the room and let the door close behind her. Looking around at the tidy, sterilized room full of medical supplies calmed her more than anything else could have done after what she had been through. She stood still for a few moments just taking deep breaths and finding peace in the smell of rubbing alcohol and new plastic, the crisp, white paper stretched neatly across the length of the exam table, the pure white cotton balls and vinyl gloves in their neatly placed containers on the countertop. 

She removed her jacket and hung it from a hook on the back of the door, neatly rolled up her sleeves and pulled her hair up into a high bun before scrubbing her hands and face in the sink. After taking a look in the small linen closet she found a clean white lab coat and put it on, then found a stethoscope in one of the drawers and hung it over her shoulders. Finally, she slathered her hands with sanitizing gel, taking a small breath of the familiar clean, chemical smell. Feeling in her element now, she confidently opened the door to see her first patient. 

“Wow,” Tawny said as Soojung opened the door. “I feel like I this is a makeover reveal.” She stared at Soojung wide-eyed. Confused, Soojung looked over to see all of the performance team members with similar expressions. 

“Noona, you look like a real nurse,” Chan said. Soojung laughed. 

“I am a real nurse,” she replied. “Are you sure you didn't get hit in the head too?” She quickly looked each member up and down to see who had the most serious injuries.

“Jun, come on in,” she decided, waving him into the room. He followed obediently, closing the door behind him. 

“Go ahead and sit on the exam table,” Soojung instructed, turning to take out some cotton balls and hydrogen peroxide. Jun stepped up to the table with a groan. Soojung placed a clean paper towel on the small metal supply table, added a handful of cotton balls and the bottle of peroxide, and rolled it over beside Jun. 

“Are you hurt anywhere other than your face?” Soojung asked, turning back to the counter to get a pair of gloves. 

”My pride,” Jun replied. Soojung stared at him blankly. “I think I’ll have some bruises but nothing else serious,” he added meekly. Soojung put the gloves on and leaned close to Jun, examining the cuts on his face and his swollen nose. 

“Well, your nose is broken,” she said. “I don't even need an x-ray to see that.” She turned to get the cotton balls and peroxide as Jun groaned. 

“I had such a handsome nose,” he lamented. “I wonder which plastic surgeon can make it look just like it did.” Soojung chuckled, gently dabbing the cuts on Jun’s face with the cotton balls. 

“When I'm done with you, you won't need a plastic surgeon,” Soojung promised. Jun grinned.

“You're confident in your nursing skills,” he observed. 

“Just trust me,” Soojung said, winking at him as she threw the cotton balls in the biohazard trash bin. She returned to cleaning the blood, sweat, and makeup from Jun’s face, handling him so gently he barely showed signs of any pain. Once she was satisfied with the result, Soojung threw the rest of the cotton balls in the biohazard, followed by her expertly removed gloves. 

“Is that all?” Jun asked as Soojung turned back to him. 

“Not quite,” she said, stepping back over to the table. “Put your hands on your knees if you need to hold onto something,” she added. Jun’s eyes widened. 

“Why?” He asked nervously. 

“Just trust me,” Soojung repeated softly, reaching out and placing her thumb and forefinger on either side of the bridge of his nose. Jun gasped, grabbing his knees as instructed. 

“Close your eyes,” Soojung whispered as the blue light began to radiate from where her fingers touched his skin. Jun complied, biting his lip at the sharp pain in his nose. After a moment, he exhaled slowly, releasing his grip on his knees. As Soojung removed her hand from his nose, Jun’s eyes flew open. 

“How did you do that?” He asked, scrunching his nose. Soojung shrugged. 

“Good nursing skills,” she said casually. She walked over and opened the door. 

“Hoshi, you're next,” she said as Jun left the room, patting his nose in amazement.

After all of the members had been attended to, Soojung placed the lab coat in the dirty linen bag and put her own jacket back on, feeling calm and satisfied. 

“Ok,” Tawny said, clapping her hands as Soojung rejoined them in the hallway. “I'll show you guys where you can shower and sleep. Follow me.”

Tawny led them to another door that opened into yet another hallway.

“This place is like a maze,” Chan remarked as they followed Tawny down the hall. 

“Eh, you get used to it after a while,” she told him. They finally reached a much wider hallway lined with wooden doors instead of metal. There was industrial gray carpet on the floor and parts of the hallway opened up into areas that were more like a living room. 

“This is the barracks,” Tawny explained. “The men's shower room is at the end of the hall to your left, the women’s is on the right. You'll find towels, clean clothes, and slippers in here,” she added, tapping on a small door next to her. 

“The boys can sleep in here,” she continued, walking a little further down the hall and opening another door to a bedroom with two sets of bunk beds, similar to the two rooms back at Seventeen’s dorm but lacking the homey feeling. “Soojung, you can share my room in here,” she finished, opening the door across the hall, revealing a smaller room with two single beds. Half of the room was messy, with a laptop open on the unmade bed, clothes strewn about here and there, and a stash of Kpop albums piled on the desk. 

“Uhh, yeah so that's it,” she said, abruptly closing the door, but not quickly enough to prevent the Seventeen members from seeing copies of some of their own albums among the pile on the desk. They politely pretended not to notice. 

Soojung and the boys went back to the closet Tawny had pointed out and gathered towels, bath supplies, toothbrushes and toothpaste, then set to the task of finding their sizes among the clothing in the closet. There were just stacks of black sweatpants and t-shirts, and a basket of black slippers in the closet floor. Soonyoung took the lead, checking the clothing tags for sizes and distributing them among the group. Once they had everything, they headed back down the hall to the shower rooms.

There were only three shower stalls so Jun and Minghao agreed to share one, since none of them wanted to wait. They showered back to back, arguing as they splashed shampoo on each other.

“Just two bros, standing in the shower, back to back cause they're not gay,” Soonyoung sang from the next stall over. Chan laughed hysterically from the third stall.

“Oh my God, shut up,” Jun groaned, secretly relieved to hear Soonyoung joking and acting more like himself. As Chan and Soonyoung continued laughing and teasing, Jun suddenly felt dizzy, and braced himself against the shower wall as his vision started to blur in and out. 

“Hey, are you ok?” Minghao asked, looking over his shoulder.

“No,” Jun replied, feeling faint. “Bring me my towel.” Minghao turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, quickly returning with a towel tied around his waist and one in his hands. 

“What's wrong?” Soonyoung asked, his playful tone quickly changing to a serious one.

“I just feel really dizzy,” Jun replied. Minghao quickly threw the other towel around Jun and very carefully helped him out of the shower. He led Jun to a bench along the shower room wall and instructed him to sit. Soonyoung and Chan quickly emerged from the showers, grabbed their clothes, and threw them on. 

“I'll be right back,” Soonyoung said, rushing out of the room. Minghao sat down next to Jun, who had leaned forward and was covering and uncovering his eyes.

“What's wrong?” Minghao asked. Jun leaned his back against the wall, closing his eyes.

“I don't know,” he said. “It's like I'm seeing something completely different out of each eye.” Minghao leaned forward, resting his elbows on the towel covering his thighs, thoroughly concerned. Suddenly the door swung open and he looked up, startled. 

“Hoshi, really?” He scoffed as Soonyoung led Soojung into the shower room. Soonyoung's mouth fell open. 

“I assumed you'd know where I was going and get dressed,” he replied, covering his mouth and trying hard to hold back laughter. Soojung walked straight to Jun, unfazed. 

“It's ok,” she said in a flat tone. “I'm a professional nurse.” She kept a perfectly straight face, but her cheeks grew slightly pink and and she gave a considerable amount of effort not to look in Minghao’s direction even though he was sitting right beside Jun. 

“What happened?” She asked Jun, pushing her long, wet hair behind her shoulders. Jun described the sensation again as Soojung chewed her lip and kept her eyes glued to his face. Jun was suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Is everybody decent?” Tawny called into the room. 

“No!” Soonyoung answered, still fighting back laughter.

“Is Soojung…” Tawny started.

“I'm here,” Soojung replied, rising to her feet and quickly turning her back to Jun and Minghao. “I'll be back,” she told the boys, slipping out of the room. As soon as the door was closed, Soonyoung fell in the floor laughing. 

“I don't even know what to say to you right now,” Minghao said, deadpan. Soonyoung simply wheezed in reply, clutching his ribs. Chan brought Jun and Minghao their clothes, looking sympathetic but trying not to laugh himself. 

“Dino get him out of here,” Minghao said, quickly pulling his clothes on before helping Jun get dressed. Chan tried to help Soonyoung to his feet, but Soonyoung was laughing too hard to keep his balance.

“I can't...I can't…” he wheezed, wiping tears from his eyes. “Oh my God, ok. I'm ok.” He finally stood, catching his breath. Minghao rolled his eyes, sitting back down next to Jun as Chan led the still-wheezing Soonyoung out of the room. 

Soojung returned after a few moments, carrying a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope. She tried not to look relieved to see Jun and Minghao fully clothed this time. 

Jun, I'm just going to check your blood pressure,” she said, kneeling in front of him and wrapping the blood pressure cuff around his arm. As she started pumping up the cuff, she felt his arm go limp and looked up to see his eyes suddenly roll back.

“Minghao, grab him,” she ordered, quickly rising to her feet on Jun’s other side. She and Minghao each hooked their arms under Jun’s and carefully lowered him to the floor as he fainted.


	22. Chapter 22

Jun could hear Minghao and Soojung talking to him as he drifted in and out of consciousness, but couldn't understand the words they were saying. Their voices seemed far away, like hearing them at the end of a tunnel. He tried to respond to them but there was a sort of disconnection between his thoughts and his mouth. His lips just wouldn't move. In fact, he couldn't even feel them. He couldn't feel his body at all for that matter.

After what felt like a long time of hovering between sleep and awake, Jun finally began to regain some physical sensations. He first became aware of the sun’s warmth on his skin, then the breeze gently ruffling his hair. Finally, his eyelids fluttered and he slowly opened them, blinking hard against the bright sunlight.

“Oh, thank gods,” Minghao sighed. Jun squinted as his vision focused on the familiar face of his best friend. A strand of long, black hair floating in the breeze caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and he followed it to the glowing face of the angel sitting beside him. 

“Soojung,” he finally managed to whisper. Soojung and Minghao exchanged a surprised look.

“How do you know my name?” Soojung asked, shifting her wings as she sat back from her knees and rested her weight on her heels. Jun blinked hard, trying to remember. It was like trying to tell the difference between a memory and a dream.   
“I don't know,” Jun replied, his consciousness starting to return to the present. “I feel like I heard it in my dream.” He started to try to sit up and Minghao slipped his arm under Jun’s and helped by pulling him up. 

“What happened?” Jun asked, rubbing his eyes. He looked down and suddenly became aware that he wasn't wearing anything but a small blanket wrapped around his waist.

“You were flying, in your phoenix form,” Soojung started to explain, “I saw you and tried to follow you, but you noticed me. We made eye contact and you suddenly started falling. It took me a minute to find you, but when I did you had shifted back to human. Minghao had come down from the treehouse and put the blanket around you.” she blushed slightly, trying not to let her eyes wander from his face as she spoke to him.

“Do you remember what happened?” Minghao asked. Jun tried to concentrate. 

“I felt dizzy,” he replied, straining to remember. The memories that played out just on the edge of his grasp didn't make sense. They seemed so familiar, yet so different. He shook his head as if it would clear the fog. 

“My vision started to go in and out,” he continued. “Suddenly it felt like I was seeing something different out of each eye. That's the last thing I remember.” Soojung became thoughtful. 

“Well now that you're awake, let me go get your clothes,” Minghao said, bracing himself to stand. 

“I'll do it,” Soojung offered, stopping him. “If you don't mind. It will be faster if I fly up.” Minghao nodded, looking up at the treehouse. 

“Do you remember anything from before you blacked out?” Minghao asked. Jun nodded, his memories finally starting to come back more clearly. 

“Yeah,” he said. “They're heading East, along the river.”

“Where does that lead?” Minghao asked as Soojung landed beside them. She handed Jun his closed and turned her back to give him privacy.

“There's some kind of castle up there,” Jun explained, pulling his clothes on. Minghao helped him stand up and he stretched. “I think it's some kind of elf castle.” Jun finished. Minghao gently reached for Soojung’s arm and the angel turned back to face them. 

“It's called Àlfborg,” she said, referring to the castle Jun had described. “It's a fortress held by the light elf king and the Seelie faerie queen.”

“Well I think that's where we need to go,” Jun said. Soojung nodded.

“That would make sense,” she mused. Jun and Minghao both gave her curious looks.

“Why?” Minghao asked. Soojung shook her head. 

“To be honest, I'm not quite sure,” she confessed. “There just seems to be something important going on there.” Minghao gazed at her, lost in thought.

“Well we should probably go soon,” Jun said, glancing suspiciously between the two others.

“Are you coming with us?” Minghao asked Soojung. The angel shook her head. 

“I have to go back and find my partner,” she replied, suddenly remembering Rue. “But I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other again.” With that, she quickly flew away. Jun studied Minghao’s face as Minghao watched Soojung leave. After a few moments Jun placed his hand on Minghao’s shoulder, gently getting his attention. 

“We should head out,” he said. “It will be getting dark before long.” Minghao nodded, bringing himself out of his thoughts.

The two of them travelled at a steady pace despite the growing darkness, using their own fire wielding abilities to illuminate their path. The forest seemed abandoned, as if they were the only two there. After walking for several hours, Minghao began to slow down, falling a few paces behind. 

“What's wrong?” Jun asked, stopping to turn around. 

“I'm just tired,” Minghao replied. He trudged along and caught up with Jun.

“We can stop and rest for a while,” Jun suggested, looking around for a comfortable place to take a break. 

“No,” Minghao said, pushing forward. “We need to hurry.” Jun reached out and stopped him. 

“Hao, I'm not going to risk you getting hurt,” he said. “Let's rest.” Minghao sighed, nodding in agreement.

“Ok but not for too long,” he conceded. They found a mossy patch under a tree and Jun sat, leaning against the tree while patting his lap. 

“Get some sleep,” he said. “I'll keep watch.” Minghao gratefully laid down on the soft moss and rested his head in Jun’s lap. In no time, he had drifted off. Jun watched Minghao’s face grow peaceful with sleep, then looked out into the forest, blinking his own tired eyes hard to fight sleep. The forest was so dark and peaceful, the warm, velvety breeze so soothing. Jun struggled with his heavy eyelids for a while longer and eventually succumbed to sleep.

The two of them suddenly awoke to the jarring sounds of crashing horse hooves and loud voices. Jun felt a sudden weightlessness as Minghao was snatched from his lap.

“Hao!” Jun screamed, jumping to his feet. He rushed toward Minghao's captor but was stopped by another attacker who grabbed him by the shirt. 

“Jun go!” Minghao screamed, struggling to break free from his own attacker. 

“I'm not leaving you!” Jun replied. He raised his arms and slid out of his own shirt as the attacker pulled it.

“Get out of here!” Minghao demanded, his eyes burning into Jun’s as the attacker lunged for him. Jun quickly nodded and without another word, shifted into the phoenix and flew off.


	23. Chapter 23

Jun flew down to the dark castle, the diversion of the returning kidnappers giving him the cover he needed to slip in unnoticed. He scanned the windows on the darkest side of the castle until he found a room that looked promising. Sure enough, he flew straight in the laundry room. He shifted back to human and started grabbing clothes from the drying racks, grinning at how clever it was that not only was he clothed, he would blend right in with the castle residents.

Carefully checking his surroundings, he slipped out into the corridor and picked up a brisk pace. He passed a couple of other men, who just gave him a friendly nod. Jun breathed a small sigh of relief at the effectiveness of his disguise. He finally reached a large stone staircase and looked down to the scene below. Minghao’s kidnappers and other castle residents were crowded around in a circle. In the center was Minghao, on his knees, his hands tied behind his back. Standing in front of Minghao and staring at him was an important looking man in high ranking armor. Minghao was flanked by two of the captors, who looked exceptionally proud of themselves as they beamed at the armored man.

“You're sure?” The armored man said, stepping closer to Minghao and walking a small circle around him, looking him up and down. 

“Yes, your majesty,” one of the captors confirmed. “He's one of them, I'm sure of it.” The king stopped walking and faced Minghao again. 

“What's your name, boy,” he asked. 

“Myungho,” Minghao lied. Jun nervously watched for the king’s reaction. 

“Take him to the dungeon,” he finally ordered. Suddenly Jun felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped. 

“Didn't mean to scare you, boy,” the man said. He handed Jun a burlap sack. “Take this and follow them,” the man said, gesturing to the captors who were now leading Minghao away. Jun looked down at the bag, confused. 

“Go on and do as you're told,” the man urged, giving Jun’s shoulder a firm push. Jun turned and headed down the steps. As he went he heard the man sigh. 

“Impossible to find good help these days,” the man said as Jun descended the staircase and jogged across the room to follow the captors. 

Jun stayed back from the men in front of them, walking quietly and sticking to the shadows. He knew they hadn't noticed him but was oddly grateful for the bag in case they did. Once they reached the dungeon, Jun silently slipped behind some large barrels of ale and hid himself, peering out from the small space between two barrels. One of the men cut the rope from Minghao’s wrists, and the other man snapped a set of shackles around them. The shackles attached to a chain which connected to the dungeon wall. 

“Don't try to use any magic,” the first man warned. “Them shackles are enchanted. You'll just hurt yourself if you do.” Jun held his breath as the men turned and left the dungeon. He waited a few moments for their footsteps to recede up the stairs, then slipped out from behind the barrels. Minghao’s face flooded with relief at the sight of his best friend. 

“I knew you'd follow me,” he whispered as Jun knelt beside him and examined the shackles. Jun raised one hand and a flame sprouted from his palm. 

“He said no magic!” Minghao winced, jerking his hands to his chest. Jun gently pulled them back with his free hand.

“He said YOU couldn't use magic,” he corrected, holding one of the shackles over his other palm. As the metal began to soften, the lock slid open. He repeated the process with the other shackle, then gave Minghao a moment to rub his wrists and collect himself. 

“Are you ready,” he asked. Minghao nodded. Jun took his hand and led him across the room, opposite from where they had entered. 

“There's another entrance to the dungeon,” Jun explained as they crept down the corridor. “I saw it while I was flying in.” Minghao followed silently, still clinging to Jun’s hand.

At the end of the corridor the dungeon opened up into a large, round room with no ceiling. The height of the room was an entire castle tower. On the side opposite the entrance was a huge wooden door. As they neared the entrance to the room Minghao stopped, pulling Jun back. 

“Do you hear that?” He asked in a barely audible whisper. Jun took another step toward the entrance, straining to listen. The sound coming from the room was like a slow, steady breeze blowing back and forth.   
“It sounds like an animal breathing,” Minghao whispered into Jun's ear. 

“It's too strong to be an animal breathing,” Jun replied. “No animal is big enough to-” 

Before he could finish there was a loud grunting noise followed by a gust of wind. Jun and Minghao crouched against the wall, shaking, as a reptilian head, larger than both of their bodies combined, slowly peered into the corridor and straight at them. They stared back, frozen in terror, just as another, slightly smaller one peeked from behind the first. 

“Those are fucking dragons,” Minghao choked, digging his fingernails into Jun's palm. 

“You're a dragon,” Jun pointed out, not taking his eyes off the huge animals before him.

“Look at them and look at me and tell me we're the same kind of dragon,” Minghao replied. Jun quickly looked around for an escape route.

“They look sad,” Minghao suddenly observed, still staring at the two dragons. 

“Well I don't want to be around to see them get mad,” Jun retorted. Noticing a trap door in the floor a few feet away, he jerked Minghao’s arm urging him to follow.

“Ow,” Minghao yelped, pulling his arm back. The smaller dragon suddenly let out a roar that shook the whole tower. 

Jun and Minghao dropped to their hands and knees, cowering in fear. The larger dragon slowly reached its head forward, resting it on the floor just in front of the entrance,its breath hitting Jun and Minghao like the warm forest breeze. After a moment of terrified silence, Minghao slowly inched forward on his hands and knees until he was arm's length from the Dragon’s nose. 

“Hao, no,” Jun hissed. Minghao ignored him, slowly reaching out and placing his hand on the dragon’s warm, leathery skin. The dragon stayed still and Minghao slowly rose to his feet, rubbing the side of the dragon’s face with long, gentle strokes. The dragon closed its eyes and sighed. Jun stared, his eyes as big as dinner plates. 

“I know how we're getting out of here,” Minghao called out softly, turning to Jun with a grin. Jun gulped. 

Minghao stepped away from the dragon and walked to the other side of it confidently. The smaller dragon laid its head down excitedly as Minghao approached. Minghao laughed, giving the small dragon a gentle pat. He looked around and noticed that each dragon was chained to the wall by one leg. 

“Help me break the chains,” Minghao called over to Jun. The small dragon gave Minghao a playful nudge, nearly knocking him over. 

“Easy,” Minghao chuckled, bracing himself and rubbing the dragon’s cheek. 

“You take the big one,” Minghao told Jun, walking over to start working on breaking the small dragon’s chain. Jun cautiously approached the big dragon, who narrowed his eyes. Jun stepped back, afraid. 

“Hao, I don't think he likes me,” he said. 

“Just rub his cheek to let him know you're friendly,” Minghao called back from behind a roaring flame as he worked to melt the heavy chains. Jun approached the big dragon again, this time carefully reaching out and rubbing its cheek. The dragon closed its eyes happily and leaned into Jun’s touch.

“Woah, easy boy,” Jun said, trying to maintain his balance. He went to find the dragon’s chain and quickly went to work breaking it. 

After some time the two boys dropped the big chains to the dungeon floor, exhausted but successful. 

“Are you ready?” Minghao asked the dragons. As if they understood, they nodded their heads, lowering them back to the floor so Minghao and Jun could climb on their backs. Once the boys were situated on the dragons’ shoulders and holding tightly, the large dragon turned around and slammed his head against the big wooden door, knocking it off its hinges. He ducked out of the doorway, followed by the smaller dragon, flapped his huge wings, and ascended up along the side of the tower. Jun clung to his back for dear life.

As the dragons reached the height of the castle wall, there was an uproar along the battlements and arrows started flying toward them. Jun held his breath as the dragons dodged the arrows as if they were merely mosquitos. One of them managed to lodge itself into the small dragon’s leg and the dragon turned toward the castle with an angry roar. Minghao held on tightly as the dragon turned back and breathed a storm of fire across the length of the battlements. 

“Go, go,” Minghao yelled as a fresh wave of soldiers ascended toward the top of the castle. Both dragons turned and beat their wings faster, rising over the treeline. Jun looked back as the castle fell out of view and then dropped his forehead against the dragon’s back with a heavy sigh of relief as they flew east over the forest.


	24. Chapter 24

Joshua rubbed his eyes as the sunrise began to stream into the bedroom window. He finished the last page of Granny’s book, closing it with a heavy sigh. There was so much he needed to tell the members. Hansol and Seokmin were still sleeping soundly. However, Soonyoung’s bed was still empty.

Joshua got out of bed and stretched, knowing he had too much to do to go to sleep now. He gathered up a towel and some clean clothes and headed for a shower. As Joshua came down the hall toward the bathroom, Jihoon appeared at the other end of the hall. 

“Josh, is Hoshi in his bed?” Jihoon asked. Joshua shook his head no. 

“I figured he fell asleep in the living room with you,” he replied. Jihoon shook his head. 

“He's not here. None of the performance unit are here. Neither are Coups, Wonwoo, or Mingyu,” Woozi said, looking worried.

“Have you called them?” Joshua asked. 

“Literally all of their phones went straight to voicemail,” Jihoon replied. Joshua rubbed his eyes. 

“Wake up the rest of the guys,” he said. “I’ll go make some coffee.” He abandoned his shower idea and went to the kitchen. 

Once Hansol and the vocal unit were all gathered in the living room, Jeonghan seemed to come out of the fog of sleepiness and looked around, suddenly anxious.

“Where is everybody else?” He asked. 

“We don't know,” Jihoon replied. “I'm guessing the performance unit and Coups never came home last night. I don't know about Wonwoo and Mingyu.” Jeonghan fumbled with his phone. 

“Woozi already called. None of their phones are on,” Joshua told him. Jeonghan sat up straight in his chair. 

“Should we call the police?” He suggested. Hansol laughed.

“And tell them what, our roommates who are all guys in their 20’s never came home last night? You know who they'd tell us to start calling? All the girls we know.” He leaned back. Jihoon rolled his eyes. 

“Ok assuming Cheol stayed out with Soojung and his phone died, that still leaves six others with no explanation,” Jeonghan reasoned.

“Maybe Wonwoo and Mingyu went out to breakfast,” Seungkwan suggested anxiously. 

“With their phones off?” Jeonghan sighed.

“Ok, I have a few ideas, but they're going to sound insane to all of you,” Joshua said after a long silence. Jeonghan leaned forward. 

“Well we don't really have anything else to go on so your guess is as good as ours,” he said. Joshua got up and left the room, returning with Granny’s book. 

“This is the book Granny sent with us,” he explained, showing it to the members. “It's basically an antique. But it's all hand written and there are all kinds of maps and diagrams and stuff...it's wild.” He tapped the cover of the book thoughtful.

“What's it about,” Seokmin asked as Joshua pondered.

“Magic,” Joshua replied. “And us.” Seungkwan laughed. 

“How can it be about us if it's an antique?” He asked. Joshua shrugged.

“I have no idea how but this book describes almost everything that's been happening to us,” he said. “It's not very straightforward though. You have to read the notes in the margins and whatnot to get the full story. But it's all here. Thirteen boys from different places, brought together, it even describes the powers and abilities we have.” The room filled with a heavy silence. 

“We need Granny,” Jihoon finally said. “She's the one who gave us the book. She's the only one who can explain what's going on.” Joshua nodded in agreement. 

“Ok so Woozi, Joshua and Seokmin will go to Granny’s,” Jeonghan suggested. “I’ll stay here with Vernon and Seungkwan in case the others come back.” 

“Sounds like a plan,” Joshua replied, rising from the couch. He, Jihoon, and Seokmin quickly took turns showering and got ready to leave. As they were putting their shoes on by the door Jeonghan turned to them.

“Guys,” he said softly. “Please be careful. And come back soon.” the six of them exchanged solemn looks as they said goodbye to each other. 

On the way to Granny’s house, Joshua told Jihoon and Seokmin more about the book. 

“So wait, it even talks about the song?” Jihoon scoffed. 

“It talks about everything. It says in the book that you're a brownie,” Joshua replied.   
“What in the world is a brownie?” Jihoon laughed. 

“It's a tiny household fairy who lives in the attic and works all night while the rest of the household is asleep,” Joshua explained. Jihoon nodded.

“Fair enough,” he remarked. 

When they reached Granny's front steps, the door opened before Jihoon could even knock. 

“Hello, baby,” Granny said warmly, gently squeezing Jihoon’s cheeks. She looked up at Joshua and Seokmin and waved them all in saying, “I’ve been waiting for you, boys.”

~

Jun woke up on one of the couches in the barracks common area. He sat up carefully, rubbing his eyes, and looked around. He grinned as he noticed Minghao and Soojung had both fallen asleep sitting at the coffee table beside him, their heads facing each other and resting on their crossed arms. Minghao’s left hand and Soojung's right were close together on the table, their fingertips crossed as if they'd fallen asleep with their fingers intertwined. Jun got up quietly, trying not to wake them, and walked to the shower room to wash his face. As he splashed his sleepy face with cold water, the door opened and he was joined by Minghao.

“Why didn't you tell me you were up?” Minghao asked, handing Jun one of the towels they'd left in there the night before.

“You and Soo looked so cute sleeping together, I didn't want to wake you,” he said. Minghao blushed. 

“We weren't...um...sleeping together,” he stammered. Jun laughed. 

“Relax,” he said, tossing the towel back on the bench. “You were next to each other, asleep. It was just cute.” Minghao sighed. 

“Just don't tell Hoshi,” he said. 

“Don't tell me what,” Soonyoung asked, entering the room. Minghao gulped. 

“That you've been right all these years, Hosh,” Jun started. “Hao is in love with me.” Soonyoung chuckled, stepping up to the sink beside Jun to brush his teeth. As Soonyoung leaned over the sink, Minghao gave Jun a thankful nod before turning to one of the other sinks to brush his own teeth. 

“Boys are you decent?” Tawny called, knocking on the door as the three of them finished brushing their teeth and started trying to make their hair somewhat presentable. 

“We're never decent,” Soonyoung called back. “But we're all fully clothed, if that's what you're asking.” Tawny pushed the door open with a sarcastic fake laugh. 

“I have to go run an errand,” she told them. “and Soo just went to bed so I'm leaving you unsupervised. Try not to cause a national emergency while I'm gone, ok?” Soonyoung winked at her. 

“I'll promise to behave if you'll do me one small favor,” he said.

“Oh? What's that?” Tawny asked, leaning against the open door with her arms crossed. Soonyoung walked towards her with a mischievous grin. 

“Tell me, as a Carat, who's your bias in Seventeen?” He replied. Tawny’s face went white and she uncrossed her arms, promptly slamming the door in his face. He turned back to the others and the three of them burst out laughing.

~

Tawny arrived at the Anchor carrying the package Ashley had asked her to bring. She barely noticed the other people on the sidewalk as she fumbled with her keys, struggling to balance the heavy box on her hip with one arm.

“Let me help you,” a familiar voice said from beside her. She looked over to see Jihoon reaching out to take the box from her and dropped her keys in shock. She quickly set the box on the sidewalk. 

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you,” Jihoon said as they both crouched to pick up the keys. They bumped heads and each of them stumbled and fell to the sidewalk. As they sat there, facing each other and rubbing their foreheads, Tawny burst out laughing and Jihoon joined her. 

“Woozi, why are you beating up this poor girl,” Joshua laughed, approaching them. He reached down to help Tawny to her feet as Seokmin walked over and helped Jihoon. 

“I was just trying to help,” Jihoon groaned, pressing his palm to his forehead. He stepped closer to Tawny as Joshua picked up the keys and box. 

“Are you ok?” Jihoon asked, hesitantly reaching out toward Tawny’s face and gently brushing aside her bangs to see her forehead. Tawny backed away from him. 

“Yeah, I'm fine,” she said casually, shaking her bangs back into place. Joshua handed her the keys and she turned away from Jihoon to unlock the door. Once Tawny had the door open she stood with her back against it to hold it open and reached for the box. As Joshua handed it over Tawny nodded her head for the boys to come inside. 

“I don't know why you're here,” she sighed, but you might as well come in.” Joshua looked confused. 

“Well I mean you're looking for your other members right?” Tawny continued. 

“Yeah, how did you-” Jihoon started. 

“I know where four of them are,” Tawny cut in, nodding towards the doorway again. This time the boys followed her directions and walked inside.


	25. Chapter 25

Jeonghan peered out the window between the blinds, hoping for some sign of the members returning to the dorm. As he scanned the street, the only thing he noticed was the same car that had been sitting there for most of the morning. Two men wearing black hats and face masks had been sitting in the car the whole time. 

“Vernon, Seungkwanie,” He called over his shoulder, turning from the window and pulling the curtains closed. “Go get your backpacks. Pack anything important or valuable. Go to Gyu and Hao’s room too.” As he gave the instruction, he headed toward his own room, the two younger boys following nervously and not questioning him. 

Hansol quickly ducked into his room, pulling his backpack out from under Joshua’s bunk. His hands shook as he fumbled with the zipper, and he took a few deep breaths to steady his nerves. Thinking quickly, he opened the dresser drawers and started tossing items into the backpack. He packed all of their small valuable items like watches and jewelry, then added sentimental things like their family photos, a few precious gifts and personal items. 

In the next room over, Seungkwan went through the same process, making sure to include his roommates’ cherished items. He and Hansol met up in Mingyu and Minghao’s room and began to collect their valuable and sentimental items as well. 

Jeonghan sat on the edge of Seungcheol’s empty bed for a moment holding the empty backpack. His mind racing, he heaved a deep sigh, letting the bag fall to the floor, and laid his head on Seungcheol's pillow. 

“I really wish you were here to handle this,” he thought to himself, burying his face in the pillow as he tried to hold back tears. 

“Hani, are you ok?” Hansol asked softly from the doorway. Jeonghan sat up, straightening his hair with his hand, and nodded. 

“Yeah, I'm fine,” he said, picking up the bag. “Did you get everything?”

“We think so,” Hansol replied, raising his full backpack in front of him. Jeonghan stood up and walked to the dresser he shared with Seungcheol and Jihoon.

“Go in the living room and put on a Going Seventeen playlist from YouTube,” he instructed, tapping thoughtfully on the top of the dresser. “Turn the volume up pretty loud.” Hansol nodded and turned to do as he was told. Jeonghan gave his attention to the dresser drawers as he carefully packed important items. He picked up Seungcheol’s favorite watch and started to place it in the bag, but his fingers didn't seem to want to let go. So he set the bag on top of the dresser and slipped the watch onto his wrist instead. It was a little too big and slid up and down his arm as he zipped the backpack and hooked it over his shoulder, but he felt comforted by wearing it.

Once the three of them were all back in the living room, with Going Seventeen playing loudly from the tv, Jeonghan went to the back window and looked out into the alley. 

“It's as clear as we can hope,” he said, looking back to the younger boys as he slid the window open. Hansol and Seungkwan both stood close to the tv, watching the video of themselves interacting happily and playfully with the other members. Jeonghan walked over to them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. 

“Everything is going to be ok,” he told them in a shaky voice, trying to reassure himself as well. He gently pushed his juniors in the direction of the window and then climbed out first, helping each of them as they made the slight drop to the ground from the window. Once they were all three standing in the alley, Seungkwan and Jeonghan carefully lifted Hansol so that he could reach up and close the window. 

“Is this the last time we're going to see this place?” Seungkwan asked quietly as they set Hansol back on the ground. 

“Don't think like that,” Jeonghan replied, squeezing Seungkwan's shoulder. 

“Where are we going?” Hansol asked, holding his backpack straps with shaking hands. Jeonghan looked both ways down the alley. 

“The Anchor,” Jeonghan finally said, nodding decisively. “We need a place to lay low, and I feel like we’ll be safe with Americans who don’t recognize us..” Seungkwan nodded in agreement. 

“Yeah, plus you know they probably all have like two guns each,” he mused, following Jeonghan and Hansol as they made their way down the alley. “In America everybody has a gun. Even the old ladies have guns, hidden in their purses,” Seungkwan continued, pointing his finger like a gun for emphasis.

“Seungkwanie, I don't think that's accurate,” Jeonghan laughed. 

“Nah, it pretty much is,” Hansol confirmed. The three of them tried not to laugh too loudly as they looked around to see if they'd been noticed. 

They walked quietly for a while, each one vigilant of their surroundings, until they reached the end of the alley that opened into the street. 

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Jeonghan said, backing up into the shadows of the alley and sliding out of one backpack strap to pull the bag in front of him. He quickly unzipped the bag and reached into it, passing the others hats and face masks.

“We can't afford to be recognized,” he said, tucking his hair into a hat and pulling the straps of his own face mask around his ears. “Keep your heads down.”

They carefully peered out of the alley and looked around before stepping out onto the sidewalk.

~

“Granny sent us here,” Joshua explained in English, sitting across the bar from Rue as the bartender sliced lemons and prepared for opening. Rue nodded. 

“Granny is the OG,” he chuckled. “She knows what's going on.” Joshua nodded in agreement. Suddenly Jihoon joined them, climbing onto the barstool beside Joshua.

“That Tawny girl is weird,” he sighed, looking back over his shoulder. Joshua followed his gaze, chuckling at the image of the tiny Tawny standing next to tall Ashley across the room. 

“How so?” He asked, turning back to the bar. Jihoon turned as well, popping an elbow onto the bar and resting his forehead against his hand. 

“I keep trying to be nice to her because I felt bad about knocking her over, but she's so mean and sarcastic,” he replied. Joshua raised his eyebrows. 

“Really?” He said in an exaggerated tone. “I can't possibly imagine what dealing with that is like.” Jihoon rolled his eyes. 

“I rest my case,” Joshua chuckled. 

“What did he say?” Rue asked, piling lemon wedges into a container and reaching for a lime on the bar beside him. 

“He said he keeps trying to be nice to Tawny but she's mean to him,” Joshua explained. Rue laughed. 

“Sounds about right,” he admitted. 

“So what's the plan?” Joshua asked, leaning forward on the bar. Rue tapped his knife thoughtfully on the cutting board before beginning to cut the lime. 

“The main idea is to get all of your members back together as soon as possible,” he said. “There's more to it but seeing as how at least three of y'all are currently unaccounted for, that's our main concern.” Joshua nodded. 

“How will we find Coups, Wonwoo, and Mingyu?” Joshua asked. 

“We have some experts looking for Coups right now,” Rue replied. “Former Army Rangers who used to track down POWs in Iraq and Afghanistan. They could find a needle in a haystack with their eyes closed. If anyone can find him, they will.” Joshua sat back in his chair feeling more confident. Jihoon gave him a confused look and Joshua quickly summarized Rue's words in Korean.

Across the room, Tawny stood with her hands on her hips, tapping her right foot as Ashley spoke to her. 

“Are you even listening to me?” Ashley asked, looking up from the city map she had spread over the end of the pool table.

“I don't know who he thinks he is,” Tawny grumbled, crossing her arms and glancing across the room, “just showing up here this fine, dressed like somebody's manly boyfriend, knocking me on the ground like something out of a drama…” She trailed off. 

“We get it you like Woozi,” Ashley joked, still looking at the map. Tawny rolled her eyes and turned back to the map.

“Look, I just can't deal with him,” she sighed. Ashley looked up at her.

“Well if you want to bartend today Rue can-” Tawny’s eyes widened and she cut her off.

“No!” She said. “I'll take them.” Ashley laughed and returned her attention to the map. 

“I mean, because you know how much I hate bartending,” Tawny quickly added, stealing another glance at Jihoon before giving her full attention to Ashley and the map.

A sudden knock at the door made the two women look up quickly. Three men stood just outside the door, removing their hats and face masks and shaking out their hair.

“Jeonghan!” Tawny and Joshua both called out at once. Ashley laughed, walking over to unlock the door.

“What are you doing here?” Joshua asked as Jeonghan, Hansol, and Seungkwan filed in.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Jeonghan said, “I thought you were with Granny.” Jihoon laughed. Suddenly Tawny was at Jeonghan’s side, taking his backpack from him as he slid it off his shoulders. 

“Let me help you,” she said in a gentle tone. “You must be tired. I'll bring you a drink.” She set Jeonghan's backpack on one of the tables and hurried behind the bar. Jeonghan smiled at her, taking a seat at the table. As Hansol and Seungkwan joined him, Jihoon glanced at Tawny and gave Joshua an annoyed look. 

“So what's really going on right now?” Seungkwan asked, looking around nervously. Joshua and Jihoon stepped down from the bar to join them at the table, while Seokmin stopped his game on the arcade machine close by and pulled up a chair as well. Tawny came over with a tray of water glasses and distributed them.

“Thank you,” Jeonghan said graciously as Tawny handed him a glass. 

“You're welcome,” Tawny replied. Jihoon thanked her next. Tawny just ignored him and walked away from the table. Joshua tried to hide his amused grin as he leaned forward on the table.

“Long story short, right now we have to get all the members back together,” he explained to the newcomers. “After that the rest will be revealed.”

“Ok, so where do we start looking for them?” Jeonghan asked, fidgeting with Seungcheol's watch around his wrist. 

“You don't,” Ashley replied, approaching the table. “We can't risk you being separated again. You're all going to join the performance unit at our base where you'll all be safe until we can find the other three.” Jeonghan nodded. 

“Translation?” Rue called over from the bar.

“I just told them they're going to the base,” Ashley replied, adding, “You know, you live here now, you should really learn Korean.” Joshua and Hansol laughed.

“When do we leave for the base?” Jeonghan asked. Ashley turned back to him. 

“You can leave now if you're ready,” she said. “Tawny will drive you there in our van.”

“We're all going to die,” Jihoon groaned. Tawny reached into the container on the bar beside her and threw an olive at him. 

“Can you even drive?” She asked, crossing her arms.

“If your driving is as good as your aim I'm sure I can drive better than you!” Jihoon replied as Seungkwan picked the olive out of his water glass at the other end of the table.

“This is going to be a long ride,” Jeonghan said to Joshua as they all rose from the table to leave.


	26. Chapter 26

“Oh my god please let me out of this van,” Jihoon groaned as Tawny took a turn a little too sharply, jostling the passengers.

“If you think you can find your way to our well-hidden, secret location I’d be happy to pull over and let you out,” Tawny snapped back. 

“Don't let him distract you, Tawny,” Jeonghan said from the passenger seat, gently patting Tawny’s leg as they made their way down the street. Tawny glanced at him, swerving a little to the right, then looked back at the street as she quickly corrected.

“Hani, I don't think I'm the one who's distracting her,” Jihoon grumbled, covering his eyes. 

After a few more turns and a lot more complaining from Jihoon, Tawny pulled into the parking lot of what looked like a factory. The boys spilled out of the van, pulling the three backpacks out with them, then followed Tawny around the building to an alley on the other side. She led them down the alley to the secret entrance, pulling out a set of keys and immediately dropping them. Jihoon, who was nearest her, moved to pick them up and Tawny stopped him. 

“Not again,” she said, crouching to pick up the keys herself. “I think I have a concussion from last time.”

She let them all file down the stairs and locked the door behind them, then repeated the process of leading them through the Borg the same way as she had with the others the night before, just without the stop at the first aid station. 

“And this is the barracks,” Tawny said as they finished their trek through the large basement. She heard music coming from down the hall and they followed it to the common area where the performance unit was busy dancing. 

“Hey guys!” Soonyoung called out as Tawny and the other members entered the room. 

“What are you doing?” Joshua laughed, watching them dance around the living room. They had pushed all the furniture against the walls to give themselves an open space and were apparently performing a modified version of the Highlight choreography with Soojung. They all stopped and Chan went to turn the music down as Jun and Soonyoung approached the newcomers. Soojung sat down on top of the coffee table, laughing breathlessly, and Minghao ignored the rest of the members and joined her. 

“We were bored,” Soonyoung explained, “and Soo said she liked to dance so we made a new version of Highlight with her.” 

“We've been worried to death about you and meanwhile you were just dancing,” Jeonghan sighed, rubbing his eyes. Jun shrugged.

“It's kinda what we do,” he replied casually. 

“Ok so now that we're all here, you guys can make yourselves at home,” Tawny said, turning to the members who had arrived with her. “I’ll go find out what time we can go to the chow hall.” She left the way they had entered, as the members started moving the furniture back where it belonged and piling onto the couches and chairs. 

“Aw, I forgot to remind Tawny she never answered my question,” Soonyoung laughed, stretching out in the floor as everyone settled in. 

“What question?” Joshua asked.

“Apparently Tawny is a Carat,” Jun explained. “Before she left this morning Hoshi asked who her bias is and she slammed the door in his face.” The others laughed.

“Well it's Jeonghan,” Jihoon grumbled. Jeonghan chuckled, patting Jihoon’s shoulder. 

“Don't take it too hard,” he said. “I can tell she likes you too.”

“Oh you can?” Jihoon asked sarcastically. “Because all I can tell is how mean she is to me.” Joshua rolled his eyes. 

“You haven't exactly been a ray of sunshine to her either,” he pointed out. 

“Well she started it,” Jihoon muttered, crossing his arms. The members and Soojung laughed and teased him a little, then changed the topic to more serious matters. Nine of the members delved into a deep conversation as Joshua explained Granny’s book to the performance unit, but Minghao and Soojung sat by the window having their own quiet conversation. 

By the time Tawny returned, the main topic of conversation in the room had shifted to how hungry the members were. 

“Please say you're going to feed us now,” Soonyoung called up from his position on the floor as Tawny entered the room. 

“Just for that you have to be at the end of the line,” Tawny told him. Soonyoung gave a mock hurt expression.

“Tawny! I'm starving!” He argued, patting his stomach. “Look at me, wasting away to nothing!” Tawny shrugged. 

“Should have thought of that before you got impatient with me,” she said, waving for the others to follow. She led them back along the maze like hallways, finally stopping at a set of double doors that opened into a large cafeteria. 

“The boys can go in and eat,” she said, gesturing at the door. “But I need Soo to come with me.”

“Where to?” Soojung asked as the members made room for her to get to Tawny. 

“First aid room,” Tawny replied simply. Soojung stopped as Tawny turned to continue down the hallway.

“Tawny, why the first aid room?” Soojung asked. The members began murmuring among themselves.

“You'll see when we get there,” Tawny answered, continuing down the hall. Soojung looked back at the members, who all shrugged but gave her encouraging looks before filing into the chow hall. Soojung turned around and jogged to catch up with Tawny. 

Once they were well out of earshot Tawny looked behind her and then leaned close to Soojung as they walked. 

“Coups is here,” she said. Soojung’s heart skipped a beat at those words. 

“I didn't want the boys to hear because I knew they would want to come with us instead of eat,” Tawny continued. Soojung nodded in agreement. 

“How is he?” She asked, wringing her hands nervously. 

“I'm not sure. I only saw him for a second, but he didn't look great,” Tawny replied. “I mean of course he looked *great* but like, you get what I'm saying.” Soojung smacked Tawny’s hand. 

“Can you ever be serious?” She asked. 

“I'm sorry,” Tawny replied meekly. “It's my defense mechanism.” The two of them walked the rest of the way to the first aid station in silence while Soojung mentally prepared herself for any possible scenario. 

Soojung entered the room to find Seungcheol already sitting on the exam table, waiting for her. 

“They told me you were here,” he said, his face flooding with relief. Soojung rushed over and threw her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly. 

“I'm so glad you're ok,” she said. Seungcheol hesitantly wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her back as he rested his head on her shoulder. They stayed like that for a few moments until Soojung remembered why they were there in the first aid room and pulled away from him.

“Where are you hurt?” She asked, examining his face as she spoke. 

“I'm honestly not too bad,” he answered, looking himself over as Soojung turned to wash her hands. “Just some small cuts and bruises.” Soojung quickly dried her hands and reached for a pair of gloves.

“Good,” she said, reaching for the cotton balls and peroxide that had been her faithful helpers the night before. “I'll get you cleaned up then, and we can go join the others.” Seungcheol’s eyes widened.

“Who else is here?” He asked as Soojung went to work cleaning some small abrasions on his face.

“Everyone besides Wonwoo and Mingyu,” Soojung replied sadly. 

“What happened to them?” Seungcheol asked, wincing as Soojung gently patted his swollen bottom lip with a cotton ball.

“Nobody knows,” Soojung replied. “But I'll let the members get you caught up when we're done here.” Seungcheol nodded as Soojung turned to get a clean cotton ball, and wrapped his arms around her waist again as she turned back toward him.

“I'm really glad to see you,” he sighed.

“I'm glad to see you too,” she replied, chewing her lip as a sudden feeling of guilt washed over her. She pulled away from him again and tried to compose herself into a more professional attitude as she went back to the task of cleaning his wounds.


	27. Chapter 27

“Wonwoo,” Mingyu called out in a soft voice, trying not to be heard by anyone outside the room. “WONWOO!” Wonwoo didn't respond, so Mingyu returned to struggling with the rope that held his wrists tied behind his back. As he struggled to pull his hands out of the rope it just felt like it kept getting tighter and tighter, so he gave up, relaxed his arms the best he could manage, and started looking around the room. 

His eyes first landed on Wonwoo, who was unconscious on the floor, lying on his stomach, his own hands tied behind his back. Their captors hadn't bothered to tie him to a chair like Mingyu, as they had managed to break one of his ankles during the struggle to capture them and figured he couldn't escape as long as his hands were tied.

Mingyu managed to tear his eyes away from Wonwoo and started actually looking around the room, trying to spot anything that might be helpful. He wasn't sure where they were, as he had also been knocked out in the fight and woke up in the chair he was currently tied to. 

“Wonwoo, I could really use your help right now,” he sighed, as his examination of the room around him came up with nothing. Wonwoo finally began to stir, and slowly woke up, struggling to move his arms. 

“Mingyu,” he whispered, suddenly alert. 

“I'm right here,” Mingyu replied. Wonwoo turned his head in Mingyu’s direction, trying and failing to raise up onto his knees. 

“Don't try to move too much,” Mingyu said. “I'm pretty sure your ankle is broken.” Wonwoo rested his head on the floor with a pained sigh. 

“Where are we?” He asked. 

“I don't know, I woke up here too,” Mingyu answered, looking around again. “I don't know how long we’ll be alone either so we need to figure out a way to get out of here.” Wonwoo gingerly rolled onto his back, carefully raising his broken ankle so it wouldn't bump the floor, then struggled into a sitting position. 

“I think I might be able to untie the ropes,” he said, “but then I don't know how we're going to get out of here. I can't run or fight.” Mingyu nodded. 

“I’ll figure something out when we get to that point,” he promised. “Just try to get us untied. Wonwoo took a few deep breaths, centering himself, then Mingyu suddenly felt the ropes around his wrists and ankles loosen. He pulled them the rest of the way off and stood up from the chair, stretching before kneeling beside Wonwoo, who still sat with his own hands tied. 

“Do you need me to untie them? Are you tired?” Mingyu asked. Wonwoo shook his head. 

“No, just go without me,” he instructed. “When you get out find some help and come back for me.” Mingyu sat back on his heels. 

“No, I'm not leaving you,” he argued. “As soon as they see that I'm gone they might kill you.” Wonwoo sighed. 

“Mingyu, I can't go with you,” he said softly, giving Mingyu a meaningful look. “Please go. I want to know at least you made it out safe.” Mingyu’s eyes widened, welling up with tears. 

“No,” he repeated. “No. I'm not leaving you”

“Jesus, Mingyu, get out of here,” Wonwoo ordered. “Hurry while you have the chance.” Mingyu shook his head and wiped his wet cheeks with the back of his hands. 

“If you can't walk, I'll carry you,” he cried. “If I have to fight them by myself, I will. You can use your telekinesis to help me. But I am not walking out of this building without you.” As Mingyu talked, Wonwoo subtly freed his hands from the rope. By the time Mingyu finished his sentence, Wonwoo reached out and took Mingyu’s face in both of his hands, pulling him so close their noses touched. 

“I love you too,” he said before pressing his lips firmly against Mingyu’s. 

~

“Where's Soojung?” Minghao asked as Tawny returned to the chow hall alone. 

“Don't worry, lover boy,” Tawny quipped, taking a seat with her tray. “She'll be with us shortly.” 

“What happened? Why did she have to go to the first aid room?” Soonyoung asked through a mouth full of spaghetti. 

“First of all, this is an American dining hall, so use your Western manners,” Tawny said, pointing to her mouth. Soonyoung covered his own mouth with his hand, looking around sheepishly. 

“Second of all,” Tawny continued, “you'll know soon enough. Just worry about eating.” She busied herself with her own food to try to cover the fact that she was dying to tell them Seungcheol had arrived there safely. 

The members resumed talking amongst themselves and were so distracted with their own conversations that they barely noticed when Jeonghan suddenly dropped his fork into his plate, looking shocked. As he jumped from his seat and nearly ran around the side of the table, the other members looked over and erupted with chatter as they noticed Seungcheol approaching them. 

“Coups!” Jeonghan cried out, throwing his arms around Seungcheol’s shoulders with such force they nearly toppled over. Seungcheol laughed and hugged him back, quickly regaining his balance. 

“I was so worried,” Jeonghan said, letting go of Seungcheol to wipe his eyes. 

“I was worried about you too,” Seungcheol replied, placing his hands on Jeonghan’s shoulders and giving them a comforting squeeze. The two of them went back to the table, where Seokmin had moved to make room for Seungcheol to sit beside Jeonghan near the middle of the group. Soojung joined them, taking a seat beside Minghao who had strategically placed himself at the end with an empty seat to his left. 

“I'll go get you something to eat,” Tawny said to Seungcheol, rising from her chair. She turned to Jeonghan and said sweetly, “Jeonghanie, do you need anything?”

“Can you bring me some water?” Jeonghan asked. 

“Of course,” Tawny replied. 

“Can you bring me a napkin?” Jihoon asked from beside Tawny. 

“Are your legs broken?” Tawny scoffed, leaving the table. The other members and Soojung laughed as Jihoon got up to follow Tawny. 

“They're going to end up together,” Seungcheol predicted, laughing as he turned his attention back to the members. 

“No question,” Joshua agreed. Seungcheol took a moment to look around at the members and, feeling satisfied that they all looked healthy and well, he began to ask them questions so he could get caught up on what had happened the night before. 

As Tawny went down the buffet line preparing Seungcheol’s plate, Jihoon approached her. She rolled her eyes when she noticed him getting close. 

“The napkin dispenser is over there,” she said, gesturing impatiently. 

“I know,” Jihoon said, frowning at her. “I came to ask you a question.” Tawny stopped what she was doing. Her heart dropped to her stomach but she kept her face in her signature annoyed expression.

“Well, spit it out,” she said after Jihoon paused thoughtfully. 

“Why are you so mean to me but nice to the other members?” He asked. “All day you've just been snappy with me left and right.”

“Well you've been snappy to me too,” Tawny argued. 

“I know but you started it!” Jihoon pointed out. “I tried to be nice to you after I knocked you over outside the bar this morning. I even apologized more than once. But you still act like you're mad at me!”

“Well maybe I am,” Tawny replied, crossing her arms. 

“Well I wish you'd just get over it already because I really want to get to know you,” Jihoon said, taking a step closer. Tawny froze, speechless. 

“Oh, you don't have any snappy comebacks now, do you?” Jihoon said sarcastically. He shrugged, giving her an exasperated look, then turned around to get his napkin and return to the table. 

“Now that's a man,” Tawny thought to herself, swooning a little as she watched him walk away. She suddenly realized she was staring and had neglected Seungcheol’s plate, and returned to her task with a grin.


	28. Chapter 28

“Ok, I’ll unlock the door and you go check if anyone's out there,” Wonwoo said, still holding Mingyu’s face close to his, their foreheads resting against each other. 

“You might need to let go of me first,” Mingyu suggested. Wonwoo dropped his hands to his lap with a sigh. 

“Sorry, I've just been wanting to do that for a really long time,” he said as Mingyu stood up and walked towards the door. 

“Me too,” Mingyu confessed, “Now let's focus on getting out of here, because I would really like to have the opportunity to kiss you again in a more comfortable setting.” He slowly turned the door handle, careful not to make any noise, and opened the door just enough to peer outside. The outer room appeared to be some kind of office. It was empty, other than a couple of desks and chairs. Mingyu quickly ducked through the doorway and came back, rolling one of the desk chairs behind him. 

“Well that's just oddly convenient,” Wonwoo remarked as Mingyu rolled the chair up beside him and then reached down to help him stand up on his good leg. Once Wonwoo was safely situated in the chair and had tested his ability to propel the chair with one foot, Mingyu opened the door again and led the way out, carefully peeking out the small window of the office door before opening it too. He leaned his head out and took a quick look around the warehouse before turning back to Wonwoo. 

“There's nobody out there,” he said. Wonwoo looked puzzled. 

“They kidnapped us and left us here with no supervision?” He mused. “They must have really thought we had no chance to escape.”

“Or something happened to them,” Mingyu whispered. He stepped back and held the door open so Wonwoo could look. At the corner of the office wall to their left were three of the men in black hats and face masks, lying on the warehouse floor in pools of blood.

“What in the world?” Wonwoo murmured. He rolled his chair out to get a closer look, his eyes widening. “Wait, weren’t there four of them when they captured us?” He asked. Mingyu looked back down at the three bodies, then frantically checked the room around them. 

“Where’s the fourth one?” He wondered aloud. Suddenly the sound of a door opening around the corner startled the two of them. Mingyu stepped in front of Wonwoo protectively as heavy footsteps came nearer. The two people who came around the corner were dressed similar to a SWAT team, but their sleeves had American flags on them like a military uniform. They each carried an M-16 rifle against their shoulder, sweeping the area ahead of them. As soon as they saw Mingyu and Wonwoo they stopped, shouldered their weapons, and the shorter of the two removed their helmet. A long, blonde ponytail came spilling out of the helmet as Ashley shook her head.

“Are y'all ok?” She asked, walking toward Mingyu and Wonwoo. 

“Ashley?” Mingyu asked, thoroughly confused. “Ashley from the Anchor?” Ashley laughed.

“Yeah, it's me. Long story,” she replied, turning her attention to Wonwoo. “What's going on here? Can you walk?” Wonwoo shook his head. 

“My ankle is broken,” he replied. 

“Ok we'll get that taken care of as soon as we get you to safety,” Ashley promised. “Let's just get y'all out of here.” She stood to one side of Wonwoo and motioned for Mingyu to take the other, and they carefully picked him up out of the chair. The other soldier held the door as Ashley and Mingyu carried Wonwoo out, and removed his own helmet before opening the sliding door on the side of the van so the others could get Wonwoo into a seat. 

“Rue?” Mingyu gasped. “What the hell is going on?”

“Tell him I have no idea what he said and we can talk after we get out of here,” Rue told Ashley as she and Mingyu eased Wonwoo into the van.

“Turn sideways and prop your broken ankle up on the seat,” Ashley instructed Wonwoo. He complied, then Mingyu climbed into the van and squeezed into the space between Wonwoo and the opposite door. Wonwoo shifted a little to make some room as Ashley and Rue climbed into the front seats. 

“You know there's a whole ‘nother seat right be-” Ashley started, glancing at the rearview mirror and seeing the two boys crowded into one of the three bench seats in the back of the van. As she turned toward them, however, she noticed Mingyu turn sideways in the seat as Wonwoo leaned back against him. Mingyu wrapped his arms around Wonwoo and rested his chin on Wonwoo’s shoulder. Ashley just turned around as if she hadn't said anything about the seats. 

Mingyu and Wonwoo fell asleep on the ride back to the Borg, and looked so peaceful and sweet that Ashley barely had the heart to wake them up. 

“Rue, stay here with the boys,” she whispered, unfastening her seatbelt. “I'll go bring Soo out here. It will be easier than carrying Wonwoo all the way downstairs to the first aid room.” Rue nodded as Ashley climbed out of the van. She hurried as quickly as she could into the Borg and toward the barracks, cursing herself for purposely blocking cell phone signal in the hideout. 

“Sure would come in handy right now,” she thought to herself, jogging down the long hallway. 

When she reached the barracks she stopped to catch her breath and compose herself before letting the members see her. She didn't want them to get too worked up and want to come outside. When she reached the common area the only ones there were Soojung and Minghao, who were sitting cross legged in the middle of the couch facing each other. Soojung had her elbow propped up on the back of the couch, resting her head on her hand as Minghao slowly leaned closer to her, running his fingers gently through her hair. Ashley realized what was happening just as she opened her mouth to speak, but by then it was too late to turn back. 

“Where is everybody?” She asked, immediately feeling guilty for interrupting them. Soojung quickly sat up straight, blushing. Minghao dropped his hand to his side, startled, and turned around to face Ashley.

“The members were bored so Tawny took them to the gym to play basketball,” he replied. Ashley wanted to apologize, but she was afraid it would just embarrass them more so she let it go for the moment.

“It's ok, I just need Soojung anyway,” she said. Soojung scrambled up from the couch.

“First aid?” She asked, brushing her fingers quickly through her hair and pulling it up with a hair tie she kept on her wrist.

“Yeah,” Ashley said. “But we're going to have to go outside.” Soojung nodded. 

“I'll go get my jacket,” she replied. As she disappeared into Tawny’s room, Minghao watched her go and then gave a small sigh. 

“I am SO sorry,” Ashley whispered to him once Soojung was out of earshot. He looked up at her and shrugged, trying to hide his disappointment. 

“It's ok,” he replied. “There is actual important stuff going on. I get it.” Ashley’s face fell.

“This is important too,” she said, gesturing from Minghao to Soojung’s general direction. “It's just...we got Wonwoo and Mingyu. They're here.” Minghao’s face lit up. 

“I forgive you,” he said, getting up from the couch as Soojung came out of Tawny’s room. 

“So what's going on?” Soojung asked casually, returning to the room more composed than when she had left it. 

“Mingyu and are here,” Minghao said excitedly. Soojung’s mouth dropped open. 

“Really?” She asked Ashley. Ashley nodded, smiling. 

“Wonwoo’s ankle is broken so they're waiting in the van-” she started. Before she could finish Minghao had grabbed Soojung by the hand and the two of them raced down the hall. Ashley quickly caught up and the three of them ran through the Borg, not even stopping before the stairs to the secret entrance to catch their breath.

Mingyu and Wonwoo were still asleep when Ashley opened the van door to let Soojung in. Soojung quickly climbed in, crouching in the floorboard beside Wonwoo’s legs.

“Wonwoo,” she said, gently waking him. He and Mingyu both jerked awake, relaxing their posture when they saw Soojung. 

“Thank god you're here,” Mingyu said, shifting to let Wonwoo sit up straight. Soojung carefully raised the leg of Wonwoo’s jeans to look at the swollen ankle. 

“Are you going to wrap it or something?” Wonwoo asked, wincing as Soojung pressed gently on his ankle to examine it.

“Not exactly,” she replied. Wonwoo bit his lip, whimpering as Soojung picked up the broken ankle in both hands. Mingyu quickly reached for Wonwoo’s hand and held him tightly with his free arm. 

After Wonwoo’s ankle was healed and the three of them climbed out of the van, Minghao hugged Mingyu and Wonwoo, feeling elated with the relief washing over him.

“I was so worried when you weren't with the others,” he confessed. 

“We went to look for you,” Mingyu told him. Minghao nodded. 

“I would have done the same for you, but they wouldn't let us leave here,” Minghao said. Mingyu nodded. 

“Let's get inside so the others will know y'all are safe now,” Ashley instructed, ushering Wonwoo and Mingyu toward the alley. They followed her lead, hand in hand. Soojung watched them, feeling a generous amount of relief now that all thirteen members were together and safe. She got lost in her thoughts for a moment as she walked, watching Ashley, Rue, Wonwoo, and Mingyu round the corner of the dumpster and disappear down the stairs. Before she could follow them, Minghao slid his hand into hers and stopped her, pulling her close to him. 

“How do you do it?” He said softly, gazing into her eyes with a perplexed look. Soojung smiled.

“Heal people?” She asked. “It's just a thing-” Minghao cut her off. 

“No I don't mean that,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her even closer. Soojung stared up into his face. Her lungs seemed to have momentarily forgotten how to function properly.

“You've done everything for us over the past couple of days,” Minghao said in a low, gentle voice. “You barely knew us two days ago. You could have called a taxi and gone home after Coups got taken from the bar. But you chose to stay with us, saved my life in the fight, healed our broken bones, took care of us, stayed up all night with me to take care of Jun, and helped us figure out the meaning of Granny’s book. You didn't have to do any of that.” Soojung continued to stare at him, speechless. Minghao slowly leaned his face closer to hers.

“I've never met anyone like you,” he whispered into her ear. Soojung felt a shiver creep up her spine feeling his warm breath on her skin. Minghao raised his head to look into her eyes again, reaching up to caress her face with one hand while the other pressed more tightly against her back. As Minghao slowly moved his hand from Soojung’s face to the back of her neck, Soojung’s lips parted expectantly and she took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

“Hey, y'all should probably head inside,” Rue called from the doorway, stepping out into the alley and startling them. When Rue saw them, his mouth fell open. 

“I'm sorry,” he said, giving them an apologetic look before bolting back around the corner and down the stairs. Soojung had taken a few steps away when Rue startled them, and now leaned against the brick wall, clutching her chest as her heart raced from the sudden scare. 

“I guess we should go,” Minghao sighed, turning toward the door. Adrenaline still pumping from being startled, Soojung reached out and grabbed his shirt, pulling him back. Without a word she yanked him by his shirt until they were eye level, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she kissed him.


	29. Chapter 29

“Hold your horses,” Tawny groaned, rolling out of bed at the persistent knock on her door. “I’m coming, I’m coming.” She crossed the room with a yawn and fumbled with the door handle, trying to focus her sleepy eyes. 

“I need you to do something for me today,” Ashley said as Tawny finally pulled the door open. Tawny stared at her, blinking. 

“Well good morning to you too,” she yawned. Ashley’s attention shifted to the empty bed across from Tawny’s. 

“Where’s Soo-- nevermind,” she cut herself off, shaking her head. “Listen, this is important.”

“I’m listening,” Tawny whined. “Just spit it out already.”

“Rue and I have to go open the bar,” Ashley explained, taking a step into the room and leaning against the open door as Tawny took a seat in her desk chair. “An expert is coming to train the boys, I need you to help out and keep things under control.”

“Keep what under control?” Tawny asked, rubbing her eyes. 

“Well...the boys.” Ashley replied. Tawny met Ashley’s serious gaze and burst out laughing. 

“Have you MET them?” She wheezed. Ashley rolled her eyes. 

“You know what I mean, Tawny,” she said in a frustrated tone. “Try not to let anyone get hurt or burn down the base.” Tawny nodded. 

“I get it, I get it,” she responded. “Can I go back to bed now?”

“Rest up,” Ashley instructed. “You also still have to close the bar tonight.” Tawny groaned, rising from the chair. 

“I better be getting paid extra for this,” she said with a sarcastic huff as she pounced back onto her bed. 

“You get to spend the majority of the day with Jihoon,” Ashley teased. “Consider that your bonus.” Tawny reached for the bedside table looking for something to throw as Ashley closed the door, laughing.

Back at the bar, Ashley and Rue went through the motions with impatient energy. Now that all the Seventeen members were safely accounted for at the Borg, they knew the next phase would be starting any day now, and it felt tiresome to go through the everyday formality of keeping up their cover. 

Ashley got lost in her thoughts while she went through the mundane opening duties, and didn’t notice the bell ring as a customer stepped through the door. 

“Evans, you’re here early,” Rue called from the other end of the bar. The customer chuckled, pulling up to a stool beside where Ashley stood counting the money in the till.

“What’ll it be, Ev,” Ashley asked, closing the drawer and flashing her old friend a grin. Evans leaned toward her on his elbows, crossing his heavily tattooed arms on the bar. 

“I don’t need a drink,” he said in a conspiratorial tone, his green eyes sparkling with amusement. “I’m here to, as the kids say, spill some tea.” Ashley’s grin widened and she leaned on the bar, giving Evans her full attention. 

“Please do, I’m parched.” She replied. Evans laughed. 

“Is it save to talk here?” He asked. Ashley stood up, gesturing around the empty bar. 

“Ok,” Evans conceded. “You might want to sit down for this.”

Ashley’s eyes widened and she quickly came out from behind the bar and crossed the room to the door, taking a look around outside before flipping the open sign to closed and turning the lock. She came back and took the stool next to Evans as Rue came over to join them, pouring three glasses of water. 

“Ok so after you told me about finding those dead guards when you went to get Wonwoo and Mingyu, I did a little recon,” Evans began. Ashley shifted reflexively in her seat. “Wonwoo’s story was correct, there were four of them during the abduction. My source told me the fourth guard is still missing. Gone completely off the radar.”

“So he just disappeared?” Ashley prodded, impatient for the point of the story. Evans grinned. 

“SHE went radio silent just before the estimated time of death of the other guards. Their people found her radio and all her gear ditched by the river. Everything but her weapons. The tracking devices had been stripped from them and left with the other stuff.” Ashley leaned back, running her hand through her blonde waves. 

“So she’s gone rogue,” she mused. “But why kill the guards and just leave the boys tied up, it still doesn’t add up.” Evans shrugged. 

“I don’t know,” he sighed. “We don’t know her angle. She could have had intel that y’all were on the way. There’s really no telling.”

“Wait, hold up,” Rue interjected. “If she had intel then that means she had to be working for someone else.” Ashley nodded, pondering. 

“We don’t have any spies in there,” she said thoughtfully. “We tried in the early days but they always got exposed pretty quickly so we stopped trying.” Evans leaned on the counter, looking into Ashley’s eyes with a serious expression. 

“Honestly with the way things have been going lately, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s another factor we don’t know about,” he admitted. “I mean we’ve got boys who can fly and wield fire, is it realistic at this point to believe that we’re the only people who know what’s happening?” Ashley rubbed her eyes. 

“I mean with all our intel agents you’d think we could have caught something like that,” she reasoned. “I’m willing to bet this is just a rogue agent. She could have had a change of heart after meeting the boys, who knows.”

“Well whether she’s alone or working for someone, there’s a wildcard out there that we need more intel on,” Rue said, leaning on the bar. “She may have helped the boys but as of right now she’s a liability.” Evans nodded. 

“Have your guys look into it,” Ashley instructed him. “Report back to me when you have something.” She rose from the barstool as she finished, returning to the door to unlock it. Evans stood up, stretching his legs, and stopped Ashley at the corner of the bar as she was walking back. 

“Listen I know you’ve been invested in this for a long time,” he told her, reaching out and squeezing her shoulder. “It’s stressful, I know. But just keep in mind the boys are safe now, they’re all together so we just have to pray things are going smoothly on the other side.” Ashley nodded, taking a deep breath. 

“I just can’t fuck this up,” she said quietly, her usual confident bearing softening into a vulnerable expression. “My whole life as I know it has been devoted to them. All my training, my time in the Air Force, coming back to open this bar, running the Borg for the past ten years-” she cut off, biting her lip to hold back the emotion threatening to spill forth from her mouth. 

“I know,” Evans said gently, pulling her into a hug. “It’s going to be ok. They’re safe. We just have to maintain right now.” Ashley rested her head on his chest, allowing herself to relax for a moment and enjoy the support. 

“Remember when we first got them all together at Pledis, all those times Josh and Hani wanted to quit training, and we were afraid we’d lose them and have to figure out another way to get them back later on,” Ashley suddenly reminisced, straightening herself up out of Evans’ arms. 

“Oh my god the sleepless nights wondering if we were going to have to send our people BACK to LA,” Evans chuckled. Ashley shook her head. 

“You should see them now,” she sighed. “They grew up so well.” Evans grinned at her, then nodded to Rue before heading toward the door. 

“Everything is going to be fine,” he called out as he crossed the room. “We’ve prepared them the best we can. Now we just have to hope they have enough time to train.” With that, he left the bar.


End file.
